Conscious Choice Seattle: Vegging Out

March 2005

Vegging Out

Local chefs and cookbook authors tempt your taste buds with vegetarian — and decidedly delicious — meatless dinners

by Suzanne Boothby and Bob Condor

There will be some 7,000 hungry people roaming Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion at VegFest 2005 on March 12 and 13. The Vegetarians of Washington organizing group will be ready for them with a festival offering more than 175,000 free samples and about 400 different types of vegetarian and vegan foods.

Among the more popular features of VegFest are the cooking demonstrations by renowned vegetarian chefs and cookbook authors. There is literally always something cooking at the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Admission is $5 for adults and free for kids 12 and under (visit www.vegfest2005.org or call 206-706-2635).

The event is no doubt child-friendly. PCC Natural Markets features a kids-only tasting area that models PCC’s ongoing kids tasting program. Parents appreciate all the help they can get in knowing what healthful meals and snacks their children not only like but will actually eat.

VegFest founder Stewart Rose proposes that Vegetarians of Washington “would be thrilled” if it can convince the meat-eaters out there to sit down at the veghead table. Not for every meal, mind you, but, oh, how about once a week?

“You could make Tuesday your meatless dinner night,” says Rose.

Natural medicine pioneer Dr. Andrew Weil endorses the idea. He recommends finding some reliable vegetarian meals and recipes to fit into your regular rotation.

“We all tend to eat the same seven to 10 dinners that we like and our mates and family like,” says Weil. “Adding vegetarian options is not only likely to be healthier but gives you more variety.”

What is left unsaid is that meatless dinners can lead you to trying more nights without the meat or chicken or fish—but not without the protein.

“That’s one myth about vegetarian eating,” says Rose. “You can easily meet your individual protein needs without meat or poultry.

Of course, there are lots of reasons to eat more vegetarian meals. But there is no reason—repeat, no reason—to sacrifice taste or enjoyment. Not even for one night a week. To that end, Evergreen Monthly asked a number of local chefs and cookbook authors to rise to the challenge of tempting meat-eaters with vegetarian dinner options. Here are their plans to win over some taste buds.

Bryanna Clark Grogan, from Denman Island, B.C., is the author of eight published vegan cookbooks, including “Nonna’s Italian Kitchen” and “Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen” (all published by the Book Publishing Company, Summertown, Tenn.). She also writes and publishes the online vegan cooking newsletter The Vegan Feast (www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com) She has devoted over 35 years to the study of cooking and nutrition and has been a vegan since 1988.

Grogan will be appearing at VegFest 2005. She is also the moderator of a vegetarian forum on the largest vegetarian site on the Internet at http://www.vegsource.com/talk/beginner/index.html.

EM asked Grogan this question: If you were the chef for a joint meeting of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association and the Washington Dairy Council, what meal would you make to impress the officials?

“A very interesting challenge!” Grogan says. “I would not offer them meat substitutes like seitan, although I have developed some really delicious seitan recipes and I love them.”

Why? “Cattlemen would be comparing it with rare beef, unfavorably, no doubt. I would not offer any glaringly obvious dairy substitutes, either, unless they had been thoroughly vetted by omnivores and they passed muster!

“The idea would be to come up with an elegant, satisfying, filling, colorful meal that would not invoke comparisons with the food they are used to eating, i.e. meat and potatoes.”

Instead, Grogan said she would create a vegan spring dinner from Pacific Northwest ingredients. Included on her menu would be herbed mushroom veggie pâté; potato fougasse (a type of bread); red lentil and sweet potato soup; baby spinach and pear salad with creamy ginger dressing; creamy asparagus in puff pastry shells; roasted green beans, fennel, red pepper and cauliflower with herbs (see recipe below); vegan potato galette and dill rice pilau with edamame. For dessert, she would serve strawberry lemon crunch cake and raspberry almond truffles.

Recipes for each dish are on Grogan’s website. Here is one sample that is “delicious and colorful” plus easy to bake. It serves 8 to 12 people or sets you up for a few meals.

Bryanna’s Roasted Green Beans, Fennel, Red Pepper, and Cauliflower with Herbs

2 medium fennel roots, tops cut off, halved, trimmed and sliced
1/2 a large cauliflower, trimmed and broken into flowerets, then sliced
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and sliced thickly
6 c. fresh or frozen whole young green beans
2 T. lemon juice
2-4 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. garlic granules
2 tsp. dried dill weed or 2 T. fresh, chopped
1/4 c. of the fennel fronds (the part that looks sort of like dill), chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all the ingredients in a large shallow baking dish (or two—the vegetables should be in a shallow layer, not piled very deeply). Place the baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring now and then with a spatula, until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown a bit. Serve hot.

David Lee is chef and founder of the Field Roast Grain Meat Company, FareStart and FoodCircle. David has taught cooking classes at Whole Foods Markets, PCC and North Seattle Community College as well as at FareStart, a job training program to teach homeless men and women how to cook. His work has been featured in Food Arts Magazine, The Seattle Times and NPR as well as many other media sources. He is presently working on a cookbook about vegetarian meats.

Evergreen Monthly asked Lee, “What’s the meatiest (and most delicious) meatless meal that you make?”

His answer: “Meatloaf! Last fall I created a recipe for a classic meatloaf; it has all the goodness of a regular meatloaf without the cruelty: carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste and ground grain meat. My 14 year-old son and I love to have it with some mashed potatoes, gravy and veggies—yummy!”

Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen, originally from Phuket, Thailand, is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She enjoys teaching Thai cooking throughout Washington and will be a guest chef at VegFest 2005. Pranee first learned Thai cooking as a child in Thailand and visits the country annually to collect and preserve family and hometown recipes.

“In my generation, most kids in Thailand helped out by doing chores in the kitchen,” she says. “My regular assignments were grating coconut, pounding curry paste and cooking rice. At age 12, I got more responsibility as a substitute cook of the house. My mom was a chef of the village and was famous for her fish cake hua mok. When I moved to Seattle, I brought along a mortar and pestle and filled up my kitchen with Thai herbs, spices and cooking equipment.”

EM asked Pranee to identify a vegetarian Thai dish that upholds tradition and great flavors but doesn’t use the fish stocks and other meat-based sources favored frequently by fellow chefs from her native land.

Her delicious answer: “The Northwest has a great selection of seasonal mushrooms, and also mushrooms from the growers. Portobello mushrooms cooked in a panang sauce maintains tradition from Thai cooking techniques by using a lot of Thai herbs and spices.”

Pranee says panang portobello mushroom was her very first creation of a vegetarian Thai dish in Seattle.

“After tasting the rich earthy flavor of portobello mushrooms for the first time,” she explains, “I decided to curry them in this citrus panang curry paste.”

Everyone who has tries the mushrooms praises the flavors.

“The curry paste can be made ahead of time,” says Pranee. “It will keep in the freezer for up to three months or in the refrigerator for one week. Once you have the curry paste made, the cooking part will be easy and timesaving.”

Panang Portobello Mushroom

Servings: 8; Preparation: 30 minutes; Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Curry paste
2-3 New Mexico chili pods, seeded
12 dried Thai chilies (or 2-3 tablespoons red chili pepper flakes)
12 black peppercorns
2 large shallots, peeled
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 t. minced ginger
1 lemongrass stalk, thinly sliced
1 T. lime zest
1 T. cilantro roots or stems, chopped
11/2 t. salt
1 T. dried roasted peanuts
2 t. coriander powder
1/2 t. cumin powder

Put all ingredients in a food processor; blend with 1/4 cup vegetable oil or more, if needed, until smooth.

Portobello Curry
1 c. coconut milk, or more as needed
3 c. Portobello mushrooms, sliced (about 6)
1 t. sugar
Salt as needed
3 T. kaffir lime leaf or Thai basil leaves, shredded

In a saucepan, heat 1 cup coconut milk until it boils. Then put aside 5 tablespoons of heated coconut milk for later use. In the same saucepan, cook all curry mix from recipe above on medium-high heat with remaining coconut milk until oil is separated and the curry is fragrant. Stir in portobello mushrooms; cook until they are soft and pliable. Add one third of the shredded kaffir lime leaf or Thai basil and stir. Pour the curry on the serving plate. To garnish, sprinkle the top of the dish with heated coconut cream and the rest of the kaffir lime leaves.

Birgitte Antonsen, raised in Denmark, grew up to regard meals as “the meeting place for family and friends.” Her great-grandfather was a well-known baker and her mother and grandmother were both excellent cooks. She started cooking vegetarian meals by age 11.

PCC Natural Markets members are likely familiar with Antonsen, who is a popular instructor with the PCC Cooks program. You may also have watched her put together some tasty dishes on the “KCTS Cooks” public television program.

During March, Antonsen will teach a “tweens” (10 to 14 years old) class on Mediterranean cooking, among others, at various PCC locations. For more info, visit www.pcccooks.com. For Antonsen’s personal chef services, check out www.natureswayfood.com.

Word has it Antonsen cooks a mean spaghetti sauce with tempeh. She is equally known for her veggie version of shepherd’s pie, the traditional British dish. The recipe is included in the new “The Veg-Feasting Cookbook,” by Vegetarians of Washington and available in bookstores (visit www.vegofwa.org for more information).

Antonsen’s shepherd’s pie is topped with mashed root vegetables instead of the traditional mashed potatoes. The stew in this recipe can be made ahead of time, even frozen and defrosted before use. Herbes de Provence is a blend of dried herbs including basil, lavender, rosemary and thyme, often sold in small clay crocks.

You’ll need a total of one pound of lentils for this dish; experiment with your own mix or use the proportions suggested in the ingredient list. Serve the main dish with broccoli, sautéed kale or other seasonal vegetables as your sides.

A tip from Antonsen: “The mashed root vegetables for the shepherd’s pie topping also makes a wonderful side dish, adding color, flavor and nutrients to your meal. Try serving it whenever mashed potatoes would be served. You may choose your own vegetable combination; just use a total of three pounds, half potatoes and half other root vegetables.”

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6

Lentil Filling
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 medium onions (about 1 lb.), diced fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 t. herbes de Provence
2 t. dried basil
1 1/2 t. curry powder
2 bay leaves
3/4 c. yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
3/4 c. green lentils, picked over and rinsed
3/4 c. French lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (28 oz.) can tomato purée
4 c. vegetable broth
3 medium carrots, diced
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 t. vegetable bouillon powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. green peas, or 1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, thawed
1 T. potato starch dissolved in 1 T. water

Mashed Root Vegetables
1 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced medium
1/2 lb. parsnip, peeled and diced medium
1/2 lb. celery root, peeled and diced medium
1/2 lb. rutabaga, peeled and diced medium
Pinch of salt
1 c. soy creamer
3 T. nonhydrogenated margarine
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. white pepper

For the filling, heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion turns translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the herbes de Provence, basil, curry powder and bay leaves and sauté until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the split peas, lentils, tomato purée and vegetable broth; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the diced carrots, vinegar, bouillon powder and salt and simmer uncovered until the lentils, peas and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the peas and the dissolved potato starch, stir, and remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and let cool. (At this point you may wrap the dish and refrigerate or freeze until needed.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F while you prepare the mashed root vegetables. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the rutabaga and cook for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, parsnip, and celery root and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, heat the soy creamer and margarine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat (or in the microwave). Drain the vegetables, return them to the pot and mash them, adding the warm liquid as you mash. Add salt and white pepper to taste.

Spread the mashed root vegetables evenly over the lentil mixture. Bake until light golden brown on the top, 20 to 25 minutes, and serve.

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