The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (18 page)

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

8 Basic Seitan Cutlets (see recipe,
pages 24–25
)

Salt and pepper

4 cups Lemon Pilaf (recipe follows)

2 cups Caponata (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade (see WTF,
page 103
), for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and rosemary in a large zip-top bag. Add the seitan cutlets, gently slosh them around so they get coated, squeeze the bag to suck out as much of the air as possible, and then seal it. Let the seitan marinate in the fridge for 1 to 4 hours.

Heat a grill, grill pan, or skillet to high. Remove the cutlets from the bag, shake off the excess marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Place the cutlets on the grill or skillet, and sear each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until you have grill marks or brownage.

Divide the pilaf onto 4 plates, lean two seitan cutlets against each pile of pilaf, and spoon ½ cup of the caponata on top of each plate. Garnish with basil and parsley.

1 tablespoon vegan margarine

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup diced celery

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 cups brown rice

4½ cups vegetable stock, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Zest of 2 medium lemons

2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 cup slivered almonds

Pepper

In a pot, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and a pinch of salt, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the thyme, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the rice to the pot, stir to coat it with the margarine and veggies, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the rice starts to become translucent. Add the vegetable stock and cover the pot. When it boils, reduce to a simmer and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. If the rice is not fully cooked, add more stock
and continue cooking. Finally, transfer the rice to a bowl, and stir in the lemon juice, zest, parsley, and almonds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6 large ½-inch-thick rounds peeled eggplant

Salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced

4 medium shallots, sliced

½ pound cremini mushrooms, halved

2 cups diced zucchini

1 cup diced red bell pepper

¼ teaspoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 cups Tomato Killer (see recipe,
page 200
)

½ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 cups drained freshly cooked cannellini beans or one 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade (see WTF,
page 103
)

Pepper

Before you do anything else you’ve got to salt your eggplant. This removes excess water and bitterness. Place your eggplant rounds in a colander in the sink, and dust both sides generously with salt. Let them sit like this for 90 minutes, then rinse and pat dry, and dice them.

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, shallots, and a pinch of salt. When the garlic slices become slightly brown around the edges, add the mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, chili flakes, oregano, and a pinch of salt, and stir. Cook for 6 minutes, or until the veggies become soft, then stir in the tomato killer, olives, and capers. Simmer for 8 minutes. Finally, stir in the beans and basil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk

½ teaspoon Crazy Shit Vinegar (see recipe,
page 194
) or apple cider vinegar

8 Basic Seitan Cutlets (see recipe,
pages 24–25
)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup nutritional yeast (see WTF,
page 27
)

4 teaspoons garlic powder

4 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons paprika

Pinch of cayenne

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried sage

¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed

¼ teaspoon pepper, plus more as needed

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

1 cup White Gravy (recipe follows)

Mashed Taters (recipe follows)

Greens (recipe follows)

In a baking dish or shallow bowl, whisk together the nondairy milk and vinegar, and submerge the seitan cutlets in the mixture. Let
marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. On a plate or in a baking dish, combine the flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, thyme, sage, rosemary, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. We’re looking for a shallow fry here, so the oil should be about ¼ inch deep. To test the oil for the proper heat level, drop a tiny bit of flour into it — if it sizzles and bubbles immediately, it’s ready.

Remove the cutlets from the wet mixture, shake off the excess liquid, and coat them completely with the flour-and-spice mixture. Shake off the excess dry mix, and dip the cutlets back into the wet mixture. Then dredge the cutlets one more time in the dry mixture, and gently place each one in the heated oil.

Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, or until brown on one side, then flip. Fry for 3 to 4 more minutes. When the cutlets are golden brown, remove them from the pan and place them on a paper towel. Season each with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place two cutlets on each plate, top with white gravy, and serve with mashed taters and greens.

1 tablespoon vegan margarine

1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (see WTF,
page 27
)

¼ teaspoon salt

Pepper

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat. In a separate pot, gently heat the milk. Stir the flour into the pan with the margarine and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until it forms a blond-colored paste. This is called a roux, which is a froufrou Frenchie term for “thing that will thicken your sauce.” Add the heated milk to the roux and whisk together until smooth. Gently bring to a simmer, at which point it will slightly bubble and begin to thicken. After 2 to 3 minutes of simmering, the sauce will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the nutritional yeast and salt, and whisk until smooth. Finally, season with pepper to taste.

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

¾ cup unsweetened nondairy milk

¼ cup vegan margarine, melted

Salt and pepper

In a large pot, cover the potatoes with cold water. Turn the heat to high, and boil until the potatoes are very soft, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander, shake them dry, and return them to the hot pot. Place the pot back on the stove over low heat for 1 minute (this will help further dry out the potatoes).

In a small saucepan, heat the nondairy milk on low until it’s warm to the touch. While the potatoes are still hot, pass them through your ricer or food mill into a bowl, or, if you disobeyed my earlier command, mash them with a potato masher. But I must warn you, overmashing makes a gummy, glutinous potato, so be careful. With a rubber spatula, stir in the margarine. Stir in half of the milk, and then slowly add more until the potatoes reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Pinch of chili flakes

8 packed cups stemmed and roughly chopped hearty greens (kale, collard, chard, etc.)

Salt and pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes, and saute until the garlic begins to brown around the edges. Add the greens and a pinch of salt, and toss. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 recipes Basic Seitan dough, uncooked (see recipe,
page 24
)

1 cup vegetable stock

1 cup Crazy Shit Vinegar (see recipe,
page 194
)

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating pan

¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (see WTF,
page 32
)

¼ cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see WTF,
page 25
)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Blackened Seasoning (see recipe,
page 210
)

2 cups Barbecrazyshit Sauce (see recipe,
page 196
)

Smoky Elbows and Cheeze (recipe follows)