I know more about Grandpa George through my wife’s eyes, than I do on my own accord. I’ve only met him a handful of times, but he has affected my life exponentially. He was raised in Southern Georgia, during the days a black man didn’t need to experience. His principles: family. He doesn’t need anything else; well, maybe, fishing and gardening. Whether he was in Georgia, in New York City or back home after retirement, family is always his priority. He taught my wife that men should provide for their family, always be there for your relatives and nurture the creation.

He knows farming like it is first grade math. He always kept a garden no matter what climate he resided. When I tasted his crop, my experience of vegetables was transformed. Vegetables so good, you could eat them plain. But why do that, when his wife can add them to a dish and make everything around them better…the same way he affects other people around him, the same way he affects me.

My wife is his first granddaughter and she adores him. At age 10, my wife’s father decided not to be an active part of her life anymore. Grandpa George stepped in and became that father figure for her. He showered her with love, support, time and adoration. He never missed a birthday or an important accomplishment in my wife’s life.
He is who I asked for her hand in marriage (thanks for saying yes). I believe he is proud of me, because I promised to love my wife as much as he loves his granddaughter.

One of my wife’s favorite Grandpa George acts: He’ll fill up the car’s tank the night before his wife has errands to run or when it falls below half a tank. Of course I am reminded of this standard whenever I fail to meet my wife’s needs before she knows she is in need or when she sees the Christmas lights that light up on my dashboard every time I start the car. I’m learning and thankful to have such a standard to be judged by.

I am sad I will not be able to see you anymore, to shake your hand or see the light in my wife’s eyes when she sees you. Thank you for raising my wife to love me and share your wisdom with me. Be at ease while you’re separated from Grandma Pearl, I will be here for her.

Let’s start with these. The shelf life of our vegan cheeses is 3 weeks. I have been thinking about how to extend this. We currently sell our product in plastic containers and I have been thinking about vacuum sealing for a while. I want to keep the oval shape of the cheese, but how to get a clean edge when vacuum sealed? And, I would want to find some kind of eco-friendly wrap. I haven’t found a green vacuum bag yet.

So, if I do vacuum seal, what would I get? Another 3 weeks or so. Our product is produced fresh weekly, so I don’t know if that “freshness” would last 6 weeks no mater how tightly sealed.

Do I go for freshness or shelf longevity?

Either way, I definitely am changing the packaging. So I have to keep meditating on that aspect as well.

Let’s eat some vegan goodness and think

Sounds good to you, huh?

The thoughts of Salisbury Steak have been lingering in my mind for a long time. Recently a good friend of mine kicked up my craving.

It started a couple of weeks ago with a conversation with Kevin Porter, BMX pro and co-owner of Delicious Cafe.

We’re both afflicted with the same disease…we constantly want to Veganize some crazy meal we used to devour back in our carnivorous days. This time it’s Salisbury Steak. Our joint memory reference was those rock hard, frozen TV Dinners. You know the ones I’m talking about. Back in the day in the foil trays…the ultimate meal – Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, kernel corn and that brownie! I always wanted the dinners that had the brownies. Looking back, I wonder how we survived such grotesqueness…but, I’m here to tell you I did. Hopefully my veganism has reversed the unseen damage inflicted upon my inner being.

Kev was recently at a vegan joint in LA that offered Salisbury Steak. Imagine his excitement! We were just talking about this stuff and there it was. However, once fork hit mouth, disappointment ensued. Now I knew I had to come up with something. So Kev, this one’s for you. When you get back from riding in Spain, you’re invited to a Salisbury Steak dinner at my house.

For the “steak” patties, I used the vegan Boca burgers. I know a lot of people don’t like these, so feel free to substitute a vegan patty that you may like more.

The veggies used will be in two phases:

First:

1 pound of Crimini mushrooms, sliced (that’s about 15 or so mushrooms)
1 Shallot, sliced

Second:

1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/2 bulb garlic, diced

Start off by sauteing the shallots in 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil on medium high heat for only a couple of minutes.

Add the Crimini mushrooms and a dash of Kosher salt to your skillet and saute for an additional 5 minutes. You don’t want them to get too mushy, just til the point they release some of their water.

That’s the look your going for.

Line up your burgers in a baking or casserole dish.

Top with the sauteed mushrooms and onions.

Put to the side and work on your vegan beef gravy.

Saute the remaining vegetables in 2 Tablespoons EVOO and 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil.

While the veggies are sauteing, get your spice mixture together:

1 & 1/2 Tablespoons Brewer’s Yeast
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Kosher salt

After about 7 minutes of sauteing, push your veggies to the edge of the skillet and add 1/2 cup all purpose flour and the dry mixture.

Lower the heat to medium low and mix everything together. Continue toasting the roux for about 3 minutes. At this point, slowly add water and continue mixing. You want to add 1/2 cup of water at a time. Slowly stirring and building your gravy.

After you have added two cups of water, add 1/4 cup of Soy Sauce. Mix.

Add another cup of water, mix. Then, using a micro-plane, add 1/4 clove of fresh nutmeg, mix.

The end result of the gravy should not be too thick. Just thick enough to lightly coat a spoon.

Add your finished gravy to the casserole dish. Cover all of the patties well.

Place the dish in a 400 degree preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes.

Take out and serve!

Who doesn’t love lasagna? Who doesn’t love Mac-n-Cheese? Put the two together….can you say Vegan Heaven? Or as the famous food connoisseur, Homer Simpson, puts it “Aaaarrrrrrhhhh!”

I made this special for my oldest daughter, the diva extraordinaire. She lives with her mother in Cleveland and she’s always complaining about the extravagant meals we make and she doesn’t get to share. Then she proceeds to complain I don’t put any pictures of her on our website. So, now I’m making food and trying to take pictures of her.

And, as any typical teenager…she complains about no pictures, but doesn’t want to take pictures. Never satisfied. True Diva! But you know what, this recipe made her and it’ll make you very happy!

The assembly of this is a cinch, but you’ll need to do some prep work first. You’ll need the following recipes:

Creamy Soy Cheese – 1 and 1/2 times the recipe. Add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of Sea Salt. You want the cheese salty because it will be flavoring the bland pasta.
Tofu Ricotta – 1 recipe
Ste Martaen Marinara Sauce – 1/2 recipe

Our Veggies:

1 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 bulb garlic, diced
12 oz sundried tomatoes (the kind packed in olive oil), diced
1/2 lb fresh spinach, washed

You’ll also need one package of Tofurky Italian Sausage links. Slice them up and put to the side.

All prep work is done, time to start cookin! Cook 1 pound of elbow macaroni until just before al dente. You want it a little firmer because it will finish cooking while in the oven. Other than that, it’ll get all mushy. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot saute your veggies (all but spinach) on medium high with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

After 5 minutes, add your Tofurky slices and saute and additional 5 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to your saute veggies and mix.

Add Creamy Soy Cheese to the mix until everything is real creamy and moist. At this point you have Sundried Tomato Mac-n-Cheese. You can cook this by itself for 30 minutes at 350 degrees for a great tasting Mac-n-Cheese dish. But we’re taking this a few steps further.

Time to turn up the yumminess!

Ladle some Ste Martaen Marinara sauce in the bottom of a 11″ x 15″ casserole dish. Cover the bottom of the dish completely.

Add a layer of the Sundried Tomato Mac-n-cheese.

Add a layer of fresh spinach.

Next, add a layer of the Tofu Ricotta.

Top with some more Marinara sauce.

And, another layer of the Sundried Tomato Mac-n-Cheese.

Finish it up by covering the top with the rest of the Creamy Soy Cheese.

Put in your 350 degree preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Wow, that looks awesome! Let the Lasagna glory sit for about 7 minutes then dig in!

Layers of comforty goodness!

Our parting shot. Time to eat. My taste buds are happy…very happy .

Here it is…Tortilla chips, Avocado, Tomato, Cilantro…Nacho cheese sauce. The tasty glue that brings all of the aforementioned together. Look at it! Drippy, mouth watering fabulousness! Forget the runway, give me a seat and some nachos!

My oldest daughter came to spend the winter break with me and this is the first meal/snack we had. It was midnight, but the glory of these nachos lit the sky.

I could blab on and on about these, but let’s get to the recipe so you can start blabbing (where did that word come anyway…blab?).

Veggies:
8 cloves garlic, slice thin or minced
1 jalapeno (2 if you aren’t scared), diced
2 green onions, diced

Cheese:
No other than our Ste Martaen Colby and Olive (8 oz of each). However, you can pick whatever combination you desire

Spices:
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt and more to taste

And:
2 cups of unsweetened soy milk

Let’s start the madness!

Heat 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil on medium. Add veggies and saute for 5 minutes.

Add one cup of milk and heat to near boil.

While the milk is heating. Get the vegan cheeses ready. As seen above, we are using the Colby and Olive styles.

Rough chop the cheeses.

Add one half of the chopped cheese.

Whisk until smooth. Add the second cup of milk, heat, add the last half of cheese and whisk again until smooth.

Add the spices.

Whisk again.

This is the type of whisk I am using. I don’t know if it has a technical name, but the bottom is flat versus the traditional rounded bottom. This helps act as a masher. When the cheese is added, I mash the cheese in order to help break up the chunks. If you’re using a different kind of whisk, work it out.

There it is, creamy cheesy goodness. Now, stop admiring your nacho sauce and get some chips together. I emptied a whole bag on a pastry board. And let the magic begin…

Pour your sauce all over the chips. Don’t be stingy.

Yeeeeaaaah. Nice and covered.

Top off with some diced tomatoes and avocado. Maybe a little chopped fresh cilantro and your in there.

Right at ya!

How did the crowd react?

Deep concentration…

And happiness (that’s my daughter on the right…isn’t she lovely?) The elated guy on the left you ask…my friend, the Soul Veg East juice bar extraordinaire.

After 5 minutes…the remnants still being gobbled up!

OK, one more beauty shot.

I went on my Lasagna binge the end of last year and created this recipe along the way. It’s a pretty quick formula and adds great flavor to many dishes.

This is what you will need:

1 block extra firm tofu
1 recipe Creamy Soy Cheese (with some adjustments)

That’s it…basically.

Putting it together, let’s start with the creamy cheese base.

Follow the Creamy Soy Cheese recipe with these adjustments to the ingredient list:
1. Increase lemon to juice of 1 whole lemon

2. Add 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of dried Basil

3. Add 1 Tablespoon of Dried Parsley

4. Increase salt to 2 tsp. This will make the mix a little salty, but you’re adding it to flavorless tofu, so it will even out.

And no jalapeno! Finish processing the cheese according to the recipe and put to the side.

In a large mixing bowl, crumble a block of extra firm tofu. Use a masher to break up the crumbles into smaller pieces.

Add about half of the Basil infused creamy soy cheese and mix.

Keep adding the cheese mixture until the ricotta is a cottage cheesy consistency. You do not want it too runny or liquidy.

And there you have it! Use for lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti or as a dip. Be careful though, your children or love ones may get forceful when asking for seconds.

Abba, give me some more! Don’t think I don’t know how to use these. Gilbert Arenas taught me how!

See what you did Arenas? It’s all fun and games until the youth get inspired by you. Note to self, don’t make Tofu Ricotta while the children watch the Wizards play.

And the Winner is…well, you’ll have to read a little bit more. This past weekend, Sunday, December 13, 2009…a date that shall live on in our minds and taste buds for eternity. Julia, aka the Snarky Vegan, had the most brilliant idea that culminated in the Vegan Pizza Smackdown at Delisi’s Pizzeria and Bar. The premise of the smackdown was to compare how two vegan cheese’s would compare side by side. The competitors were Chicago Soy Dairy’s Teese and Canada’s own Daiya. These two vegan cheeses have been regarded as the best “melty” vegan cheeses in the country. Well, Chicago has put them to the test.

Delisi’s is basically a dive bar on the north side of Chicago. It’s a no frills, no top shelf kind of joint with super friendly service and enthusiastic local regulars that don’t mind drinking and buying you drinks. The perfect spot to find Vegan Pizza, and deep dish pizza at that. In my experience, joints like this are the jewels of the culinary world. Forget the chandeliers, cloth napkins, Grey Goose, 100 year old scotch and dudes uncomfortably dressed in tuxes. Give me a place that forsakes posh, serves well drinks and puts all of its energy into creating delicious food…in this case, Vegan Deep-dish Pizza! It’s my understanding that Delisi’s just recently started serving vegan pizza and it has caught Chicago by storm. As you know, once a vegan finds a great product, word spreads like wildfire. The most effective form of communication known to man…not the the telegram or the telephone…it’s Tell-a-Vegan. Within days, the whole world will be up to speed.

See, a place packed full of Vegans! Anything to do with pizza, you know I couldn’t leave the children at home. If I did it might have been the last time any of y’all had seen me.

Look how serious Lil’ Z is. Now imagine if I had left him home! He would be posted up at the house ready to use that knife and fork on me.

Baby boy ridding his slice of any vegetable content. Just cheese and crust please. Well, he did add ketchup…does that count as a vegetable?

Our lion cub, pretending to eat with sophistication and patience.

Father, this deep-dish pizza is extraordinary. I am thankful for you allowing me to accompany you on this outing.

Yeah right! Believe me, once the camera went down, so did the fork and the pizza at a record setting pace.

Don’t forget about me. Pizza, in my mouth? Pizza, in my mouth?

Sorry, not this time, baby girl.

Awww . Don’t worry, she got some of Chicago Soy Dairy’s Temptation pineapple ice cream and was very happy.

Alright, stop the yapping, can we eat? Yes, let’s all dig in.

Here’s the scoop from my perspective:

Both Teese and Daiya were similar in how they melted. Both claim to veganly emulate the stretchy, gooey, meltiness of dairy cheese. They both melted, but I didn’t see any close similarity to dairy cheese. Maybe right, right, right out of the oven. Hey, that’s not my hang up though. I’m all about taste.

So the winner, according to my taste buds, is….?

That’s right, Chicago’s finest…Teese from Chicago Soy Dairy! Why Teese? I felt it had a milder flavor that combined much better with the other ingredients on the pizza. Teese did not over power only enhanced every bite. Now Daiya, on the other hand, had an after taste. Maybe its from the tapioca or arrowroot flours, maybe the cultures. I don’t know. All I know, that after taste was more dominant than the flavors of the pizza as a whole. Daiya did seem a little creamier than Teese, but that wasn’t enough to take the crown.

So Teese it is for me. Also, the unsung hero of the day has to be Upton’s Naturals faux meats. Along with the vegan cheese, Delisi’s offers a variety of faux meat products produced by Upton’s. My hands down favorite was the vegan pepperoni. So next time I get back to Delisi’s (next time being every week), I’ll be getting my deep-dish with Teese and Upton’s pepperoni.

Who ever said being a vegan lacked taste, has evidently never been to Chicago. Chicago is producing some of the best new vegan products on the market. I looked forward to when the rest of the world catches up with what we know.

Nothing like a dish that incorporates the goodness of faux meat, pasta, vegan cheese and tomatoes. Complete happiness in every bite. We are starting our 6 Weeks, 6 Lasagna’s with a bang. This lasagna is power packed with taste and body. There will be 3 types of faux meat and two types of vegan cheese; and who can resist our own special marinara sauce.

You’ll need to prepare the following basics:
2 recipes Creamy Soy Cheese – *add 1/4 cup Dried Parsley to each recipe
1 recipe Ste Martaen Marinara Sauce

Our 3 faux meats are:
1 package Upton’s Naturals Ground Beef Style Seitan
1 package Upton’s Naturals Italian Sausage Style Seitan
1 package Tofurky Italian Sausage

Most of you have most likely heard of Tofurky. In Chicago, there’s a great vegan owned company Upton’s Naturals. They are not national yet, but as good as their products are, look for them soon. Check out their website and order you some faux meat excellence. The seitan products we are using are already pre-crumbled and taste outstanding. They are better than any of the national brands I have tried.

For the Upton’s Naturals “meats” you’ll need to sauté each one separately in 1 ½ tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil until evenly browned. It should only take about 5 minutes for each. Once browned, remove from heat and empty into a small bowls.

For the Tofurky Italian Sausage, slice in ¼ inch pieces and also sauté until browned in 1 ½ tablespoons EVOO. Remove once browned a put aside in separate bowl.

There we have it, all 3 browned and ready for duty.

While browning your faux meats, boil your lasagna noodles according to directions. You want to cook them to just before al dente. You want the noodles to be pliable, but not thoroughly cooked. They will finish cooking with the sauce once baked.

Assembly time!!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a 9×13 cassorole dish, cover the bottom with the Ste Martaen Marinara sauce.

Add a layer of lasagna noodles. Lay your strips side by side lengthwise overlapping each row.

Add your sauteed Upton’s Naturals Ground Beef-Style seitan.

Cover with marinara sauce.

Pour on a layer of Creamy Soy Cheese.

With a spatula, spread out the Creamy Soy Cheese in an even layer.

Add another layer of lasagna noodles.

Add the Upton’s Naturals Italian Sausage-Style seitan.

Cover with marinara sauce.

Pour on some more Creamy Soy Cheese and spread out.

Now add your Tofurky Italian Sausage pieces.

Shred 1/4 pound of Ste Martaen Vegan Muenster Style Cheese evenly over the top.

Ready to bake. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Oh. My. God. That looks good.

I know this will be hard, but let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes, then go ahead and cut a piece. As Kevin from Delicious Cafe said: “The combination of the creaminess of the cheese and the faux meats is mouth watering. I ate a piece and I couldn’t resist going back for more.” I couldn’t have said it better myself! Enjoy!

The base of all things good. The sauce that took weeks to perfect. The base that flavors the whole. Yes, The One. Yes, it’s here…The Ste Martaen Marinara Sauce.

Alright, enough with the fake hype. As you may know, I hate store bought tomato sauce. For years I have tried every brand under the sun and still couldn’t hep but to add a little of this or that to any sauce I purchased. So, after finding the glory and wide uses of canned tomatoes. Bam!!! I figured out what was missing…my flavors. I’m picky, but I believe great food can be made easily. Why waste your money buying half made products, when you can create your own masterpieces at home with a quarter of the budget?

A good marinara sauce can take you a real long way. Marinara is the essential flavor you taste in so many dishes…pizza, pasta, lasagna, etc., etc., etc. So, here’s our foundational glory…The Ste Martaen Marinara.

The Veggies:
1 medium sized red pepper
1 poblano pepper
1 cubanelle pepper
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 bulb garlic

Dice all your veggies. Heat 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a medium stock pot. Make sure you use a good grade of Olive Oil. Remember, the better the quality, the better your meal will be.

Add your diced veggies and a pinch of Kosher salt to the pot and saute for approx. 10 min on medium high heat or until your onions become translucent. I love onions, they’re like little timers that tell you when to start the next step.

The onions have dinged!!

Add 1/2 cup of a sweet to slightly sweet white wine. For example a sweet would be a Reisling and a slightly sweet would be a Sauvignon Blanc.

We’re using the Trader Joe’s staple – ’3 Buck Chuck’ or aka Charles Shaw. Good quality wine at a great price. Let the wine reduce for about 5 to 7 minutes.

Next add two 2 cans (roughly 56 ounces total) of whole peeled tomatoes. It is important to find a brand you like.

For us, it’s Trader Joe’s again. I prefer an unsalted variety and this one with the added fresh basil gives a good flavor punch. Reduce your heat to medium and simmer the sauce while you get your spices together.

Our spice mixture includes:
2 Tablespoons Mexican Oregano
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1 1/2 Teaspoon Coriander
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

Dump your spices in and get ready to blend.

Using my favorite tool, the hand-blender, blend all of your ingredients until the tomatoes are completely pureed. Reduce the heat to low and begin to simmer.

Lastly, add 1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup (No Aunt Jemima please). The maple and the sweetness of the reduce wine help balance the bitterness of the tomatoes.

That’s all folks. Continue simmering for at least 20 minutes to as long as you want. Use in as many dishes as you like. Next up for us, 6 Lasagna’s in 6 weeks.

Salute!!!

3 PEPPER & VEGGIE SAUSAGE TOMATO SAUCE

OK, now let’s make some outstanding tomato sauce. I definitely prefer to make sauce than to buy pre-made. I always end up adding something to the pre-made stuff because it is never quite right and making from scratch is easy and cheaper.

Let’ check out the veggie line up:

We have:

• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cubanelle pepper
• 1/2 red chili pepper
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 1/4 red onion

Dice up the peppers and red onion and put to the side. On medium-high heat, warm up a small stock pot (a 2 quart size is good) with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the veggies to the pot and saute. As the veggies are getting warm and flavorful, rough dice the garlic and dice 2 links of Tofurky Italian Style Sausages (an added vegan bonus).

Tofurky Italian Sausage

Add them to the pot:

Saute all the ingredients for about 5 min on medium heat. Once the onions begin looking translucent, it’s time for the tomatoes to join the party.

Perfect! Bring on the tomatoes!

What you’ll need:

• 28 oz can of tomatoes, preferably diced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

I purchased a can of whole peeled tomatoes from Trader Joe’s.

I prefer diced tomatoes, because I like a few tomato chunks in my sauces. However, TJ’s was sold out of diced, so I got these. Now, I have to take a couple extra steps…if you have diced tomatoes, skip the next procedure.

Open the can and take out two whole peeled tomatoes, dice and add to the pot. For the rest in the can, use your immersion blender and puree. (No immersion blender…that’s okay, just dump into your blender…it will work just as well)

Now that your whole tomatoes are pureed, add to your pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for at least 10 minutes.

There you have it. A great sauce with not a lot of effort. This sauce is great for pizza, lasagna, parmesan or simply over your favorite pasta.