Cajun Mushroom Soup

This recipe caught my eye because in its omnivorous incarnation it was billed as "mock turtle soup." This sounded promising, but I soon learned that since turtles are hard to find outside of Louisiana they had been replaced with veal. There was even a note in the margin saying "no reptile was harmed in the making of this mock turtle soup." Oh, good. So, a calf was taken from its mother, kept in the dark in a confinement pen, feed an iron deficient diet, and slaughtered at a young age; but at last the turtles got a pass! This recipe is an experiment in using seaweed to keep a seafood-like stock, which I think worked very well. The original recipe also called for diced hard boiled eggs which I replaced with some tofu and black salt. Feel free to leave this out and just add more mushrooms.

Seaweed Stock
INGREDIENTS
- 8 cups water
- about 1 cup seaweed (I had dulse on hand , but you could use kombu)
- 2 nori sheets, crumbled

METHOD
1. Bring all ingredient to a boil in a stockpot. Cover and simmer for 30 mins. Remove from heat and strain.

Mushroom Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 2 celery stalks, small dice
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb oyster mushrooms, washed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 cup minced fresh tomatoes (chop as finely as you can)
- 6 cups seaweed stock
- 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
- 1 cup tofu, small dice
- black salt (or regular) and pepper to taste
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup dry sherry

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a stock pot over med-hi heat. Add the onion, celery, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and golden brown (about 10 mins). Add mushrooms and cook until just beginning to release their water. Add flour, mix well, and cook for 5 mins (add a splash more oil, if needed).
2. Add garlic, tomatoes, seaweed stock, sauces, and tofu. Mix well, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about an hour.
3. If the soup is too thick, add more stock. If too thin, add some tomato paste. Taste and adjust all seasonings as you see fit.
4. Add lemon juice, parsley, and green onions and simmer for 30 mins. Remove bay leaves, stir in sherry, adjust seasonings one last time and serve with crusty bread.

Tofu Etouffee Over Corn Cakes

I have been checking out cookbooks from the library so I can explore various cuisines and flavours for free. I have been having good luck with the Williams-Sonoma cookbooks--nice pictures, solid recipes, and some cultural history to boot. This recipe is inspired by the New Orleans collection. I thought the corn cakes would be a little ponderous, but they are actually a wonderful addition that complete this flavourful dish.

INGREDIENTS
Tofu Etouffee
- 1 pkg tofu, cut into small cubes
- oil
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1 tbsp smoked paprika

- 1 tsp sage

- 1 tsp smoked sea salt (or regular)

- freshly ground pepper
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 green pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4-5 cups veggie stock, or water
- 2 generous tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano
- 2 bay leaves

- salt and pepper to taste

Corn Cakes
- 1 1/4 cups cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups soy milk (less 2 tbsp)
- 3 tbsp oil
- 4 green onions, finely chopped

METHOD
1. Fry in tofu cubes in a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until crispy and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and toss with thyme, pepper flakes, paprika, sage, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil, then whisk in flour to make a roux. Continually whisk for 4-5 mins, or until flour is a deep golden brown. If you burn it, you have to start again. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, celery, and peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, until veggies are tender (about 8 mins). Add a splash of water or two to the pan to deglaze if the flour sticks too much.
3. Add garlic and cook for 2 mins, then slowly add in stock, stirring well to incorporate. Stir in tomato paste and herbs. Add tofu, bring to bubbling, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 mins, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken. Add more water if it is too thick after reducing, or more tomato paste if too thin. Season to taste before serving.

While the etouffee is simmering, make the corn cakes
1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Pour apple cider vinegar into a 4 cup measure, then fill up to the two cup line with soy milk. Whisk together, then whisk in oil. Add to dry ingredients and gently mix until just incorporated. Fold in green onions.
3. Cook, as you would pancakes, on a oiled griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.

To serve, place two pancakes on a plate and cover with etouffee. The pancakes re-heat nicely on a griddle the next day (can be stored in the fridge, or you can just make a 1/2 recipe), and the etoufee tastes even better as leftovers.

Crispy Cajun Tofu Sticks

My approach to tofu these days is to coat it in some kind of spice mixture before doing anything else. This is a great way to add lots of flavour to the otherwise neutral bean curd. After coating with spices you can fry it, grill it, coat it with sauce . . . whatever suits your fancy. This tofu is dipped in soymilk and coated with bread crumbs (cereal, actually) to provide some crispy crunch. I think these would have been even better with some kind of dipping sauce, so I am open to suggestions.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cut into sticks
- 3/4 cup soymilk
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- bread crumbs, or crushed cereal

Spice Mix
- 2 tsp (smoked) paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- cayenne pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Mix together ingredients for spice mixture in a large bowl. Add in tofu sticks and gently toss to coat.
2. Mix together soy milk and vinegar. Dip a tofu stick in mixture, then toss in bread crumbs or crushed cereal to coat. Repeat with remaining sticks.
3. From here you have two options: 1. Fry in 350 degree oil; or 2. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 mins, turning half way through.

Bourbon Glazed Acorn Squash

Reading week is drawing to close and I have accomplished less than half of what I wanted to. Sigh. But, we did get to the cottage for a few days for some snow-filled fun with the cousins. Since we had pancakes for breakfast every day at the cottage, I really was not in the mood for them come Shrove Tuesday. Instead, I went with some Cajun flavours--a Cajun tofu (next post) and this glazed squash. No real culinary breakthrough, but very tasty nonetheless.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 acorn squash, seeded, cut into quarters
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch cayenne pepper

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1. Place squash quarters skin side up on a baking sheet. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 mins.
2. While squash is baking, melt margarine in a small pot, then remove from heat. Stir in sugar, bourbon, and spices. Set aside.
3. Remove squash from oven, and remove squash from baking sheet. Line baking sheet with the foil you used to cover the squash, then place squash skin side down on foil. Brush thickly with glaze.
4. Return to oven and bake another 20-30 mins, brushing with glaze about every 5 mins until deeply golden and cooked through. The glaze will pool a bit in the bottom of each wedge, which is fine. Serve in the skin. If you have leftover glaze, mix it with some cooked carrots.

Creamy Cajun Rice

Here is the second dish we had on Cajun night along with the chickpea cakes (I made a few adjustments to the recipe after reading some of the comments). I guess this is something like a gumbo. It's easy to make and is very tasty. You can adjust the spices to your liking if you are not making it for a bunch of kids.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tbsp flour

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 green pepper, seeded and diced

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp paprika

- cayenne pepper to taste

- 3 cups of water

- 1 cup long grain rice (I used basmati)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 cups chopped seitan (optional)

- 1 cup soy milk (plus more, if needed)

- 2 green onions, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Heat oil and margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly for a minute or so, until flour becomes a nice golden brown and has a nutty smell.

2. Add onion, green pepper, celery, and bay leaf and fry, stirring regularly, until softened (about 5 mins). Add spices and fry for another minute. Add water and rice and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until rice is cooked (about 15 mins). Stir regularly to keep rice from sticking.

4. Add seitan, if using, and soy milk. Cook until liquid thickens a bit.

5. Stir in greens onion and chopped parsley. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve.

Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes

This really isn't an attempt to make some kind of vegan crab cake. I thought some Cajun food would hit the spot, but I was also in the mood for some chickpeas (weird craving). I kept these mild for the kiddies, so you can spice them up as you see fit.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 12

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1/4 cup diced onion

- 1/4 cup diced green pepper

- 1 celery stalk, diced

- 1 28 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp paprika

- pinch of cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp hot sauce

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp flour

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- salt and pepper to taste

- oil for frying

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion, green pepper, and celery for 5-7 mins, until softened. Remove from heat.

2. Place chickpeas in a food processor along with the onion mixture. Pulse until chickpeas are no longer whole, but dont process them too much. Place chickpeas in a bowl and add spices, hot sauce, and parsley. Mix well. Add flour and cornstarch and mix well. Place in the fridge for 30 mins.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan over med/med-hi heat (around 350 degrees). Shape chickpea mixture into 12 patties and fry in batches, about 2-3 mins per side, or until crispy and browned. Flip a few times if they are browning too quickly. If you have trouble forming the patties, add some more cornstarch to hold it all together.

Cajun Meatloaf with Sweet Bourbon Glaze

I had a hankering for my meatloaf recipe tonight, but decided to spice it up a little since I really enjoyed the Cajun dish from a few nights ago.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 10 mini meatloaves.
- 2 8.5 oz pkgs tempeh, coarsely grated
- 1 large sweet onion, coarsely grated
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp sage
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp seasoned salt (or to taste)

- cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp HP sauce (or A1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- water (if needed)

Glaze
- generous 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp mustard

- 3-4 tbsp bourbon

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9 x 13 baking pan.
1. Mix grated tempeh, onion, garlic, flour, and spices in a large bowl.
2. Add in sauces and oil, and enough water (you may not need any at all) so you are able to mash everything up with your fingers. Knead/mush/mash for a few mins to mix everything well.
3. Divide dough into 10 pieces and shape into small loaves. Place into oiled pan, and spray lightly with oil. Bake for 15 mins.
4. While loaves are baking, bring glaze ingredients to bubbling in a small saucepan. Let thicken a bit. Spoon over baking loaves. Bake loaves for 15 mins more, then scoop excess glaze back over the loaves. Bake for an additional 20-25 mins, or until glaze is thickened and darkened.

Tofu and Sweet Potatoes over Cajun Quinoa

When the weather outside is frightful you have to turn to food to warm up. This dish makes use of Cajun flavours to transport you to the Bajou in the middle of the winter weather. You can serve this over rice, but I went with quinoa if only because it's fun to say "Cajun quinoa." To make it I cooked 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water. When done, I added 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsely and a few dashes of hot sauce.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups diced sweet potato
- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, diced
- 1/3 cup of water, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- cayenne pepper to taste
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 can coconut milk

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, green pepper, and bay leaves for 5-7 mins, until onion is soft and translucent. Add potatoes and fry for 2 mins. Add tofu, water, and spices. Cook uncovered for about 10 mins, until potatoes are beginning to soften. Add a few splashes of water to keep everything from sticking.
2. Add coconut milk to the pan and bring to bubbling. Simmer for 10 more mins, until veggies are cooked through. Season to taste and serve.

Here is the view out the back door these days.

Quick and Easy Tofu Etouffee

This started out as a Cajun-esque tofu scramble, but ended up becoming an etouffee as I kept adding things into the pan. You can serve this with rice, or by itself for a brunch.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 medium onion, halved and sliced

- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped

- 1 green pepper, small dice

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 bay leaf, finely crushed

- pinch of cayenne (or more)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, diced
- 1 andouille sausage, cut into chunks

- 1/4 cup vegan sour cream

- 1/4 cup soy milk (or more)

- 2 green onions, sliced

-chopped parsley for garnish

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, and pepper for about 8 mins, until beginning to soften. Add spices and fry for 2 mins.

2. Add tofu and sausage to the pan and fry for 5 mins, until they begin to brown a bit.

3. Mix in sour cream. Thin down with soy milk--you may want to use more than 1/4 cup. Stir in green onions. Season to taste, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Quick and Easy Maque Choux

I'm not really sure this dish can be called maque choux since many of the ingredients are missing. But, that's what makes it quick and easy, right? The basic essence of the dish is still here--creamy corn with a hot pepper bite.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups cooked corn

- 1 heaping tbsp vegan sour cream, or vegenaise

- 1 tbsp plain soy milk

- hot sauce to taste

- sliced green onion for garnish

METHOD

1. Mix all ingredients together and top with green onions.

Gumbo with Vegan Andouille Sausage

Looking for something to go with a baguette? Try this gumbo!

Andouille Sausage

Make vegan sausages the same way as this recipe (but make 4 sausages), but use the following spice blend

- 1 tsp thyme

- 2 bay leaves, finely crumbled

- 1 tsp red pepper flakes

- 6 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 tbsp paprika

- 1 tsp sage

- 1 tsp sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 tsp liquid smoke

METHOD

1. Grind thyme, bay leaves and pepper flakes with a mortar and pestle. Add garlic cloves and mash with spices. Add with other spices listed above, and make 4 sausages as usual.

Gumbo

- 5 tbsp margarine

- 1 tbsp oil

- 5 tbsp flour

- 1 large sweet onion, diced

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 1 green bell pepper, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 cups sliced okra

- 7 -8 cups water or veggie stock

- 2 andouille sausages, thickly sliced

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- few dashes of hot sauce

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

- freshly ground black pepper

- 2 handfuls baby spinach

- 2 green onions, sliced

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp basil

METHOD

1. Heat margarine and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly for about 5-7 mins, until flour turns a caramel colour. Add onions, celery, and green onion and fry for 5 mins. Add okra and garlic and cook 1 min. Slowly add in 7 cups of water.

2. Add sliced sausage, bay leaves, soy sauce, hot sauce, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling, then simmer for 50-60 mins, adding more water if it gets too thick.

3. Add in baby spinach, green onions, parsley, paprika, thyme and basil. Cook 5 mins. Adjust seasonings and serve in a bowl over rice.

Jambalaya, Cajun Carrots, and Cornbread

We are feeling a bit better today, but a bit congested. Well, there is nothing like a little spice to clear out the sinuses. Let the Cajun fest begin!

Chickpea and Sausage Jambalaya

INGREDIENTS

- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

- 2 large yellow onions, chopped

- 1 green pepper, chopped

- 2 celery stalks, chopped

- 2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicier)

- 1 pkg Yves veggie sausages, thickly sliced

- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed

- 3 bay leaves

- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

- 2 tsp parsley

- 3 cups uncooked white rice

- 6 cups water

- 4 green onions, sliced

METHOD:

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a stockpot. Add in onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, and cayenne. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until veggies are a deep golden brown.

2. Add in sausage and cook for 5 mins, or until sausage begins to brown.

3. Add in chickpeas, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and rice. Stir until rice is coated.

4. Add in water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat, covered, for about 30 mins until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.

5. Remove bay leaves and stir in green onions. Serve.

Cajun Carrots

Thickly slice 6 large carrots and boil or steam until soft. Drain. Mix with 1 tbsp margarine, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp paprika, pinch of cayenne, and 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

Cornbread

I made Isa's cornbread from the PPK, but I did make a few changes. 1. I baked it in a 10" cast iron pan that I pre-heated in the oven before I poured the batter in. 2. I upped the maple syrup to 1/4 cup to make it a bit sweeter.