I’ve been making these delicioso burgers for a few years. It’s the first veggie burger I made that I really liked… in fact, it’s still my favourite burger!

Veggie burgers, especially ones made from vegetables, grains & nuts, usually suffer from a serious case of mushitis. Such burgers not only fall apart in the pan, they squish out of most buns when you try to eat them. Bleurgh. Mush burgers aren’t us.

These, on the other hand, do not fall to pieces in the pan. They have a slightly crunchy texture and a delicious flavour. They don’t taste like a dead cow burger hamburger, but then, they’re not trying to. They’re great in their own right, not as a faux meat burger (not that there’s anything wrong with that… I also love faux meaty things, as you well know, oh readers of my blog).

This recipe is from The complete vegan cookbook, by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay (at least, I think that’s where I got it from).

I always make a full batch of these, which can be frozen for an easy meal later.

1. Pulverise almonds in a blender until reduced to a fine meal. Empty into a large mixing bowl. Put 100g (1 cup) of the oats into the blender and process until ground to a fairly fine consistency. Add to bowl, along with the 50g (1/2 cup) of unblenderised oats. Stir to combine.

2. Finely chop mushrooms. Heat olive oil and sherry (or water) in a skillet over medium-low heat (don’t heat the skillet first, as adding oil and sherry to a hot pan will cause it to splutter everywhere). When skillet is hot, add mushrooms, shallots and oregano and saute for 5-10 minutes, until shallot is softened and mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has evaporated. Set aside.

3. In a small measuring cup, combine the soya milk, Worcestershire sauce, arrowroot powder and salt.

4. Add mushroom mixture to almonds/oats, along with soya milk mixture. Combine well. Add breadcrumbs and mix again.

5. Divide into eight portions and form into thin patties. As they are formed, place onto a tray lined with baking paper (or wax paper/parchment paper etc).

6. Saute burgers in a bit of olive oil in a heavy pan (I use cast iron) until golden and crisp, then flip and brown the other side.

7. Serve in burger buns with your choice of toppings and condiments.

Can be frozen between layers of parchment paper. Cook from frozen state.

Makes 8 burgers.

Before yesterday morning, I’d last made tofu scramble quite a few years ago. At that time, I remember it being decidedly… meh… okay but not really something I was in a hurry to make again.

Then I saw a recipe for Golden tofu scram over at Gapers Block. Mmmm, now that looked like one delicious tofu scramble.

So I made it, with just a few additions for extra seasoning.

And it was awesome. A delicious savoury taste with crunchy bits from the seeds, and scrunchy bits from the golden-fried tofu. YUMM! I wouldn’t say it tasted like scrambled eggs (which I never much liked anyway), but I would say that it tasted better than scrambled eggs.

It’s quick to make, and perfect for a weekend breakfast. We ate it alongside Creamy mushrooms on toast.

Don’t forget to check out the original recipe at Gapers Block… they have a helpful photo tutorial, which I was far too lazy to include in my post.

Enjoy!

1. In a medium-sized bowl, make the sauce by whisking together the tahini, sesame & sunflower seeds, lemon juice and soy sauce.

2. Break off a big chunk of tofu and crumble it with your hands into the bowl of sauce. The goal is to have small bits that will become thoroughly coated with the delicious sauce. When all the tofu is crumbled into the bowl, mix it thoroughly.

3. Next add the nutritional yeast, and seasonings to taste. I used salt, pepper and onion granules, but you could use anything your little heart desires. You can also add a pinch of turmeric to impart an eggy goldenness, but this is optional.

4. Heat a heavy skillet (I use cast iron) on medium heat and add a bit of groundnut (peanut) oil. Spread the tofu into a thin layer and fry until it is golden on one side. Then flip it over in sections and brown the other side.

Makes 2 servings.

I’ve tried a few different flavours of homemade seitan sausages, but these ones are really good. Mr Thrifty says they’re the best yet, but he says that every time I make seitan sausages.

I usually put all of the ingredients, other than the wheat gluten, into a blender and process until smooth. This time, I wanted little bits instead of a uniform texture, so the fennel, pepper and sundried tomatoes were stirred in after the other stuff was blenderised.

These sausages have Italian-type seasonings, which goes well with the sundried tomato flavour. They’re a bit softer than my other veggie sausages because of the tomatoes.

If you try the dough before you cook it, you’ll probably think there’s too much garlic, but the garlic flavour really mellows when they’re cooked.

Some bloggers wrap their sausages in foil before steaming. I don’t like to use foil right next to food. When I first made seitan sausages, I wrapped them in parchment paper, then in foil, before steaming, but sometimes they can burst the foil. Also I found I had to use new foil every time because it always tore when I unwrapped the sausages. Last time I tried wrapping them in parchment, then in cheesecloth. This worked better, and the cheesecloth can be reused. I also love Monique’s idea of wrapping veggie sausages in handkerchiefs before steaming, and I want to try that method as well.

One note about the gluten. It seems that every time I weigh gluten, then measure it by volume, I get a slightly different result. If you are using American (volume) measurements, you may find you need a bit more or less gluten.

The dough should soft, but not so sticky that it sticks to your hands. It won’t matter if the measurements are off a bit… the sausages will still cook through okay, they just might be a little softer or firmer than you want; take notice of the texture of the dough before you cook them, and adjust it accordingly next time.

Sundried-tomato seitan sausages

1. If you’re starting with whole almonds, grind them in the blender first while it’s still clean and dry, then remove and set aside.

2. Crumble the tofu into the blender. Put the bouillon cube into a glass measuring cup and add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water; stir to dissolve the cube. Add red wine and soy sauce to measuring cup, then add enough water so the mixture equals 100ml (6-1/2 tablespoons). Add this to the blender.

3. Add remaining ingredients to blender EXCEPT tomatoes, pepper, fennel and gluten. Blenderise until completely smooth. Empty into a large mixing bowl.

4. Toast fennel seeds in a clean, dry skillet (I use cast iron) until fragrant and starting to turn light brown. Remove from skillet and grind coarsely in a mortar and pestle.

5. Add fennel, cracked pepper and sundried tomatoes to tofu mixture in bowl and stir until evenly combined. Then add gluten and mix well, until you have a uniform soft dough.

6. Divide dough into six pieces. Roll each piece into a sausage shape (make sure you don’t roll them longer than your steamer!). Wrap each sausage in parchment paper and then in aluminium foil or cheesecloth. Lightly twist the ends together if using foil, or tie them with string if using cheesecloth.

7. Bring water to boil in a pot that has a steamer insert. Arrange wrapped sausages in your steamer insert. If using foil, arrange with seam side down as this reduces the likelihood of a foil blowout. Packing the sausages tightly in the steamer also reduces this chance. I arrange three sausages on the bottom of the steamer insert, then another three at a 90 degree angle on top of them.

8. Steam for 40 minutes over gently simmering water. If you’ve arranged your sausages in two layers, switch their positions halfway through the cooking time (bottom ones on top and top ones on bottom). Turn heat off and let cool.

9. To cook, gently pan fry until golden.

Can be frozen for future use (leave them wrapped and place in a plastic freezer bag).

Makes six sausages.

I’ve just discovered that Creole jambalaya contains tomatoes, unlike Cajun jambalaya, which does not. So my version is Creole jambalaya!

This casserole is traditionally made with assorted bits of dead animals; my vegan version, which does not harm your karma, uses faux meat (or seitan, tofu or tempeh) of your choosing. Tonight I used homemade sundried-tomato sausage and store-bought veggie prawns.

This dish is a bit involved to make, but it tastes sooo good. Mr Thrifty would climb over a barbed-wire fence to get to this jambalaya (or so he claims). The rice is baked in the oven in the spicy seasoned broth until it is plump, tender and infused with flavour. I usually serve this with a salad.

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over low heat. Saute onion three minutes, until softened. Add celery and red pepper and continue to saute for 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

2. Add garlic and continue to saute for two minutes.

3. Add uncooked rice and saute until translucent, another couple of minutes.

4. Now add salt, paprika, cayenne, thyme, oregano, basil, pepper, sage and bay leaves to the skillet and mix well. Turn off heat and transfer to a large casserole dish (one that has a lid).

5. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).

6. Put vegetable stock and passata (tomato sauce) in a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer.

7. Clean skillet and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Saute faux meat until heated through and beginning to brown.

8. Add hot stock mixture, fresh tomatoes and faux meat to casserole dish and give it a stir.

9. Bake in preheated oven for one hour, until rice has absorbed liquid and is tender. If it starts to dry out before rice is tender, add small amounts of boiling water as necessary.

Makes 4 servings.

I’ve been playing around for awhile with my meatless meatball recipe. I was trying to duplicate Nate’s Meatless Meatballs, or at least my memory of them (since it’s been a few years since I’ve had Nate’s). I’m happy to report that I’ve achieved success at last!

These little puppies have a great texture that is, from what I can remember, very very similar to meatballs made from ground-up animals. In fact, I’m willing to bet you could fool carnivores with these. They are firm but not too chewy, with a slightly crumbly texture. I used a combination of textured vegetable protein (TVP), gluten, gram flour and breadcrumbs, as well as oil to keep them moist, plus spices and seasonings. I kept the seasonings quite neutral, so they could be used for anything from spaghetti & meatballs to sweet-and-sour meatballs to curried meatballs, and so on.

The first time I made them, I simmered them in broth, the way I do my seitan cutlets, but they didn’t hold together very well in the simmering broth. Now I steam them, which works great, followed by a brief session in the oven to make a slight crust on the outside.

Note that when they come out of the steamer, they will have developed a slightly flattened shape. If you wait a couple of minutes (until they’re cool enough to handle), you’ll be able to easily reshape them back into round balls.

Last night we had them with spaghetti and a simple homemade sauce, made by sauteing onion, sweet peppers and garlic in olive oil, then adding passata (tomato sauce), and seasoning with basil, oregano, salt & pepper. The meatballs were served straight from the oven, on top of the spaghetti and sauce, and not simmered in the sauce. I’ve tried simmering the meatballs in sauce previously and it works okay, but you end up with softer meatballs, and I think they’re nicer served firmer.

I use a mixture of groundnut (peanut) oil and coconut oil (which is actually solid at room temperature), but I’ve also made them just with groundnut oil and they’re fine like that too, though the coconut oil seems to give them a slightly firmer texture.

Update 14/02/09: Denny of a simple kind of life modified this recipe to be gluten-free; and Andy of Aloka Life successfully made these meatballs soy-free by substituting mushrooms for the TVP.

Delicious vegan meatballs

1. Make the TVP mixture ahead of time, as it needs to cool completely. Stir the prepared beef-style bouillon, Marmite and optional gravy browning together in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, add TVP and stir well. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes, then stir again and add onion and garlic. Set aside to cool completely. The mixture must be cold before adding the other ingredients.

2. Mix together the coconut oil and vegetable oil until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.

3. For the liquid mixture, put beef-style bouillon cube in a glass measuring cup. Add a couple tablespoons of boiling water, and mix until bouillon cube is dissolved. Add ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Then add enough cold water to equal 165ml (2/3 cup). Set aside. Note that this must also be cold before adding to the other ingredients.

4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine wheat gluten, besan, breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast and stir well.

5. When TVP and liquid mixtures are cold, first add oil mixture to TVP and combine well. Then add the liquid mixture and stir again. Now add this to the gluten mixture and mix it until it is evenly combined.

6. Form into meatballs. I make 24 meatballs, each about 2.5cm (1 inch) in diameter.

7. Prepare your steamer insert by lining it with greased parchment paper so the meatballs don’t stick (you can just grease the steamer insert without using the parchment paper, but they will stick a bit). Place meatballs in steamer insert with about a 2cm (3/4″) gap between them. My steamer is not very big, and I have to do the meatballs in three batches.

8. Bring an inch of water to boil in the bottom of your steamer, then turn heat down to maintain water at a simmer. Steam meatballs for 10 minutes, then carefully turn them over and steam for another 10 minutes. Remove them to a parchment-lined tray to cool. The meatballs will have flattened slightly in the steamer. Once they have cooled for a few minutes, you can gently reform them back into balls. Steam the rest of the meatballs the same way. Check the water level periodically to ensure the pot doesn’t boil dry, and add more boiling water if necessary.

9. When the meatballs are finished steaming, bake them at 180C (350F) for 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes 24 meatless meatballs.

I came across a recipe for Baked pepper & chorizo penne and it sounded really good, and easy to veganise. The crispy rosemary-flavoured breadcrumb topping was especially appealing.

Instead of chorizo, I used homemade sundried tomato Italian-style seitan sausages, but the dish would be delicious even without the faux sausage. For cheese, I used strong Cheddar-style Sheese.

I used less red pepper flakes in the pasta than the original, and less rosemary in the topping, though next time I’d use more of each.

The original recipe used 150g (5 ounces) of dried pasta for four servings. I didn’t think half the recipe would be enough for the two of us, so I made the full recipe. I was surprised that there actually WAS enough for three or four servings.

BTW, rosemary is very easy to grow, we have some growing in a pot outside and it stays green throughout the winter, one of the few herbs that does in this climate.

1. If you are using the optional seitan sausage, heat two teaspoons of the oil in a heavy skillet and fry over low heat until golden. Remove from skillet and set aside.

2. Heat remaining olive oil and saute onion and sweet pepper for three minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to saute for 10 more minutes, until vegetables are soft.

3. Preheat oven to 200C (400F).

4. Add garlic and chilli flakes, and saute an additional minute or two.

5. Add tomatoes (with juice), sun-dried tomatoes and capers. Cook gently for another five minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until just done (mine took 11 minutes, but check the package as this varies).

7. Whilst the sauce and pasta are cooking, make the topping. In a blender, process bread until broken into crumbs. Add chopped rosemary and blend for another 10 seconds or so. Remove from blender and toss with grated cheese.

8. When pasta is cooked, drain and add to vegetable mixture. Thinly slice sausage (if using), and add to the mixture.

9. Spoon pasta mixture into a large shallow baking dish (I used an enamelled roasting tin). Top with crumb mixture.

10. Bake for 20 minutes, until topping is slightly crunchy.

Makes 3 or 4 servings.

Whilst flipping through a cookbook in the bath t’other day (yes, I read cookbooks like other people read fiction), I came across what sounded like a simple yet interesting soup recipe. Plus, I had all the ingredients on hand.

Chickpeas. Potatoes. Spinach. Cumin, coriander, cayenne. Also tahini and [vegan] cream. I wasn’t sure how the flavours were going to come together in the end, but I’m happy to report that the soup was very, very delicious. The original recipe calls for cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the soup, but instead I used a couple of tablespoons of red lentils for extra nutrition.

I used Stanley to cook the chickpeas, but a half a 400g/14oz tin (drained & rinsed) could be substituted. (Use the other half to make houmous, mmm.)

Be sure to wash the spinach well, as it is often quite muddy.

Sesame breadsticks are nice with this soup.

1. Heat olive oil over low heat and saute onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

3. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne, and cook another minute.

4. Add vegetable stock and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft.

5. Add potatoes and chickpeas and continue to simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.

6. Add vegan cream and tahini, stirring until combined. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.

7. Add spinach and simmer for two minutes, until spinach is wilted.

Makes 2 servings.

One of the few things we are still harvesting down on our allotment is parsnips (well, okay, the only thing at the moment). They are nice and sweet… no surprise, since parsnips get sweeter after a frost and we’ve had plenty of those. Ours are rather mutant-sized compared to the ones at the supermarket, but even those that are 7.5cm (3 inches) at the crown don’t have woody cores.

Day before yesterday I made a mildly spicy parsnip soup that was the best parsnip soup I’ve had. It’s from one of my xmas pressie books, 400 Best-Ever Soups by Anne Sheasby. If all the soups in the book are as yummy as this one, I shall be a happy bunny.

The cream is optional… the soup was delicious without it.

The toasted garlic & mustard seed topping is really nice, but be aware that browned garlic does have a rather distinct, slightly bitter taste. We both loved it, but Mr Thrifty opined that the topping might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you want a more subtle flavour, I think garlic croutons would be a good choice.

You will notice that although I don’t like pureed bean soups, I love pureed vegetable soups. Go figure.

1. Peel parsnips and cut into small dice.

2. Heat a saucepan on low heat and melt margarine. Gently fry the onion and parsnip for about 3 minutes.

3. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder and cook for another minute.

4. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, or until parsnips are tender.

5. Cool slightly, then puree in a blender. Be very careful with hot liquids in the blender… fill no more than 1/3 full and hold the lid on firmly using a folded kitchen towel before switching on. The steam will try to push the lid off the blender. Hot soup being flung around the kitchen is not a good thing!

6. Return soup to the pan and stir in cream if using. Add a little water if it’s too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat gently until just simmering.

7. Whilst soup is reheating, make topping. Heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat and saute garlic and mustard seeds until garlic is lightly browned and mustard seeds start to pop.

8. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with garlic/mustard topping.

Makes 2 servings.

In a bid to eat a tad more sensibly in the new year after the excesses of the holiday season, I have decided that soup should play a starring role in our evening meals, a couple of times a week.

I wanted to start off with black bean soup, but most such recipes call for pureeing the soup, and pureed black bean soup does not look particularly appetising, at least to me. I also find the texture of pureed bean soups kinda… meh.

I love Mexican mixed bean and lentil soup, so I used that recipe as a base for creating another Mexican-inspired soup, this time with black beans and sweetcorn.

It was excellent, and I would make it exactly the same way next time. The small amount of red lentils add body to the soup without having to thicken the broth with cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot, which doesn’t seem right with bean soups.

I started with 110g of dried black beans, and let Stanley cook them, though a 400g/14oz tin of black beans, drained and rinsed, could be substituted.

We served this with bread and a green salad.

1. First toast the cumin seeds in a heavy, dry skillet (I use cast iron) over medium-low heat until fragrant, a minute or two. Remove to a mortar and pestle and grind to a powder. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil over low heat, and saute onion and chilli until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Add garlic and saute an additional minute or two.

4. Add toasted cumin powder, oregano and paprika, and cook another minute.

5. Add tomatoes and their liquid, vegetable stock and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft.

6. Add black beans and sweetcorn continue to simmer for 15 minutes to blend flavours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with coriander (cilantro).

Makes 2 servings.

I’ve tried many versions of vegan pancakes, but these are the best I’ve had.

So what makes a perfect vegan pancake?

Why, the same things that makes a perfect non-vegan pancake, of course: quick to make, no hard-to-find ingredients and a tender, moist and fluffy result. Sometimes vegan pancakes can be heavy and doughy, but not these little babies. The first time I made them plain; the second time I made them with blueberries. They’re great either way. I’m sure these would be fab with any number of fruity additions.

I found this recipe via Vegan in Bellingham, who found it on the site A Bellingham Foodie Blog.

Perfect vegan pancakes

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add the fruit and toss to coat the fruit with the dry mix.

2. Combine the wet ingredients in a measuring cup.

3. Heat a heavy pan on medium-low heat. (I use a well-seasoned cast iron pan.) If you’re not going to serve them as they come out of the pan, turn the oven on to low with a baking sheet (or two) inside, to keep them warm until they’re all cooked.

4. Stir the wet mix into the dry mix and combine until fairly smooth. Add an additional tablespoon or two of flour if the mixture seems too thin. (It should be thin enough to spread out when the batter is spooned onto the pan, but not so thin you end up with crepes!)

5. When the pan is hot, spoon the batter into the pan to make small (10cm/4″) or medium-size (18cm/7″) pancakes. They’ll look quite thin when first spooned into the pan, but will puff up as they cook. I don’t need to add oil to my well-seasoned cast-iron pan, but this may vary with a different type of pan.

6. Cook until the pancakes forms bubbles on the surface and start to look “set” on top (three or four minutes). Then flip them over and cook for another two minutes or so, until the other side is golden. If not serving immediately, put on preheated tray in a warm oven. Don’t stack them, as it will make them soggy (or so pancake wisdom says).

7. Serve with margarine and maple syrup or fruit syrup. We served these with blueberry syrup.

Serves two hungry people.