I am Ironman!

Today we have two posts for the price of one. I have plenty of other things to do, but I wanted to get this down before I forgot (as I often do when creating things). I've been having a few nutritional/digestive issues lately that I am trying to get under control. My belly has been all kinds of bloated and unhappy for months. I am suspicious that I may have some issues with gluten...but I'm not sure, so I'm going to try eliminating it for a few days and see how I feel.

My doc told me that my iron is low and my cholesterol is high. The cholesterol part doesn't shock me after the feeding frenzy I've had the past year. I'm not hip on taking any medication and I'm not totally sold on supplements. I feel it's better to try to get what you need from the foods you eat. With that in mind, for lunch I was starving and wanted to grab the closest easiest carb I could find. No bueno...no gluten! So instead I checked the fridge for some nutrient dense goodies that might have iron, but no gluten. The result was a very quick, very flavorful and healthy lunch.

Spicy Blackened Style Tofu and Citrus Chard

The tofu can be altered to whatever spices you have in your pantry. Here is what I used:

Serves two if you have no starch

1/4 teaspoon Penzey's Northwoods Fire Seasoning

1/8 teaspoon Penzey's 4/S Special Seasoned Salt

A dash of Arizona Habanero Seasoning (this shit is hot!!!) from Anthony Spices

Salt to taste

1 (12 oz) package firm or extra firm tofu pressed

Canola Spray

Mix seasonings on a small plate. Cube tofu into about 1/2 inch cubes. Dust cubes in spice mixture. Heat medium sized iron skillet (large enough so that tofu can be in single layer) sprayed with just a bit of canola spray over high heat. Sear tofu for 2 minutes over high heat and reduce to medium high heat. Brown tofu on both sides until chewy and firm (crispy if you like) about 7-10 minutes per side. Serve while still hot.

Citrus Chard

2 large servings

1 bunch of rainbow chard (any type will really do) washed trimmed and chopped into bite sized pieces

Juice of 1/2 an orange (about 1 tablespoon)

Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic*

salt and pepper to taste

Heat non stick skillet and a spray of spray canola over med-high heat. Add chard and citrus juices. Saute until they just barely start to wilt. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Saute until wilted and reduced to about 1/2 its original size. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with something spicy. The orange juice is a great complement to spicy food.

No gluten and chard has lots of iron. This is super easy to throw together and doesn't leave you feeling like a bloated mess.

*I usually prefer to use minced fresh garlic and you could sub a large fresh clove, but sometimes a girl/guy is just in a hurry and shaking something out of a spice jar is just the ticket.

FNF - Chicken Seitan and Bean Sopapillas

Take that GUY! This is my vegan take on a dish I saw on this episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The recipe is loosely based on a dish served at Salsa Brava in Flagstaff. I've had a chance to go there, but will have to visit next time I'm in Flag. Don't be scared by all of the recipes and steps. You can make the enchilada sauce, the cilantro cream, the seitan, and the beans a day or two before, so assembly is quick the day you put it together. I hope you decide to try this one. It is a real show stopper!

Frying up.


The finished giant sized masterpiece.


How does one go about making such a monstrous dish? The recipe(s) are below.

Chicken Seitan and Bean Stuffed Sopapillas

Makes 4 giant servings.

1 recipe sopapilla dough
1 recipe marinated chicken seitan
1 recipe refried beans
1 cup vegan cheddar (preferably Daiya)
1 recipe pasilla/ancho enchilada sauce
1 recipe chipotle cream
Oil heated to 375 for deep frying

Pre-heat oven to 500.

It is very important to have all of your ingredients set out and ready for assembly before you roll out the dough. Otherwise you run the risk of letting the dough get too wet and warm to puff up properly.

Prepare the refried beans and let them cool to room temperature. If already made and refrigerated, bring to room temperature.

Sear the marinated seitan steaks until they are brown and slightly crispy. Cool enough to be able to dice small.

Bring enchilada sauce to room temperature.

Divide sopapilla dough into 4 equal sized balls. Roll one out to about 6 inch round. Working quickly so the dough does not get wet, layer with cheese, chicken, then beans. Fold over to make 1/2 circle. Drop into hot oil immediately. Make sure to keep sopapilla submerged with heat proof tongs. Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to cookie sheet. Repeat 3 more times with remaining dough balls.

Once all of the sopapillas are crispy and brown ladle enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese is melty and bubbly. Drizzle with Cilantro Cream. Serve with extra enchilada sauce on the side. This one should be served immediately or you will lose the crunchy texture of the sopapilla.

For the sopapilla dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup warm water

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a tacky but not wet dough. Let sit for 2 hours.

Marinated Chicken Seitan

1/2 pound of your favorite chicken seitan cutlets, steaks, or roast cut into steaks about 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup lemon lime soda
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tequila
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

In a shallow dish (I used and 8 x 8 cake pan) mix all of the marinade ingredients. Add seitan making sure there is one layer and the marinade covers most of it. If it doesn't, you'll need to turn it over 1/2 way through the marinading. Marinade for at least two hours.

Holy Frijoles Refried Beans
Makes 2 cups

1 large clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced small
2 teaspoons annato infused oil
1 tablespoon chopped green chiles (hatch preferably)
1/2 teaspoon epazone or mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 - 15 oz can pinto beans with liquid

Heat oil in small sauce pan. Saute garlic until it is golden brown being careful not to burn it. Add onions and chiles and saute for about 5 minutes until onions are softened. Add dried spices and saute for 2 more minutes until fragrant. Add beans. Saute for 20 minutes until beans have thickened and only a small amount of liquid remains. Cool to room temperature. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Pasilla/Ancho Enchilada Sauce
Makes approximately 3 cups

4 large dried pasilla/ancho chilis
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced medium (about 3/4 cup)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon chili powder
28 oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

Rehydrate chilis in boiling water for 15-20 minutes until soft. Once rehydrated remove stem and seeds. Roughly chop.

In medium saucepan heat oil. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add onions and saute until slightly soft. About 5 minutes. Add dried spices and saute for about 2 more minutes. Add pasillas and saute for 2 more minutes, adding a small amount of tomatoes if it gets too dry. Add entire can of tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor blend until sauce is fairly smooth making sure there are no chunks of pasilla remaining. Saute for 10 more minutes. Can be stored for 2-3 days.

Cilantro Cream

1/2 cup non-dairy vegan sour cream
2 teaspoons unsweetened soy cream (Preferably Wildwood Brand, it has the least amount of sugar)
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/8 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (measured after chopping)

In a small bowl mix all ingredients. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour to let flavors meld. Can store up to 1 day in the refrigerator.

Men Who Cook

I am totally new to this blogging thing, so this is probably not going to be formatted well.

Never one to miss an opportunity to show of my wonderful boyfriend's kitchen prowess, we set out to create a tasty southwestern brunch dish. I absolutely love chile rellenos, but as an aspiring vegan needed to find a cheeseless version. Today Fred agreed not only to be a part of the Men Who Cook challenge, but he also agreed to take the first test run on a recipe I wrote. The delicious results are posted here.

Fred is very organized in the kitchen. His mis en place rocks. I had previously written the recipe for the rellenos, but was improvising on the sauce. I gave him a verbal recipe for that. Once he had the sauce simmering, I left him to his own devices with the written recipe. I missed a few steps in the instructions, but that didn't stop him. I can't figure out how to put descriptions next to the pictures, but there you have it.

I can't wait until he gets cooking (in the kitchen and elsewhere hee hee) again.

Breakfast Chili Rellenos Rancheros

With Ranchero Sauce
Serves 4

4 Anaheim chilies cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 links soyrizo or any other brand of vegan chorizo chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
¼ C white onions finely chopped
1-2 roasted jalapeños chopped
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp chipotle powder
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp turmeric
1 lb firm tofu
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
½ cup cooked black beans
¼ packed cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped (measured before chopping)

1 recipe Ranchero Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 (or this step can be done on a medium grill). Place chilies cut side down on cookie sheet and roast until just slightly softened (about 5-7 minutes). Pull out of oven and begin making filling.

In sauté pan, sauté chorizo until it just starts to brown. Turn off heat.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed or iron skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add onions and peppers and sauté until onions are translucent. Add chili powder, chipotle powder, cayenne pepper and turmeric mixing thoroughly. Crumble tofu in pan. Gently stir in nutritional yeast until incorporated. Fold in black beans, chorizo and cilantro. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes longer.

Gently stuff chili halves with tofu mixture. Before putting in the oven, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of ranchero sauce on each and bake for 10 minutes. Top with warm ranchero sauce and serve immediately with corn or flour tortillas. These will also reheat well for leftovers.

Ranchero Sauce
Makes about 3 cups

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 small white onion, halved and sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, micro planed or finely minced
2 Anaheim chilies cut in half lengthwise then sliced thinly
1 jalapeño, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thinly
(I leave the seeds in for heat, they can be removed if you want a milder sauce)
1 ½ tsp chipotle powder
½ t hot chili powder (mild if you want to tame it down a bit)
¼ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp salt
28 oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes with juice

In heavy bottomed med saucepan sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add Anaheim peppers and jalapeños and sauté until just soft. Add chipotle powder, chili powder, coriander, and salt. Stir until they are incorporated into vegetables. Sauté for about 3 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.

I recommend making this sauce the day before if possible and storing in a glass jar. The flavors will really intensify overnight.