I had a Veganomicon kind of weekend!

This is another recipe that I’ve had my eye on since I bought this book but just now got around to making. That is primarily because, as any jambalaya recipe likely is, it’s pretty involved. I’m definitely of the opinion that this is worth the effort though, now having made it.

In addition to being tasty, this recipe also makes enough to feed a small army or two people for a week. I froze half of it and we’re still eating the rest for lunch! The next time Mardi Gras rolls around, I know what will be on our menu!

Random aside: Is it just me or can you not think about the word “Jambalaya” without hearing Newman saying it in your head?

Vegan Jambalaya
Recipe courtesy of Veganomicon

Ingredients

6 tbs olive oil
16 oz. Seitan, crumbled
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded & diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 large tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup cooking sherry or veg. broth
2 cups long-grain brown rice
28 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can white kidney beans, drained & rinsed
15 oz can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 bay leaf
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried paprika
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne*, to taste
4 cups vegetable broth**
1 tsp salt
several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

*next time I make this, I think I’ll double the cayenne
**you’ll need 1/2 cup to 1 cup of additional broth or water to add halfway through baking

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F
• Preheat a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat
• Saute the seitan in 2 tbs of olive oil for 4 to 6 min, until lightly browned. Remove from pot and set aside
• Add remaining oil to the pot, then stir in the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic. Saute for 12 to 14 min., until vegetables are very soft. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for another 4 min.
• Stir in cooking sherry or broth to deglaze the veggies, cook for 30 seconds, then add rice. Stir the rice for about 4 min., then stir in the diced tomatoes, seitan, beans, bay leaf and all of the herbs, plus salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, pour in the broth and return to a simmer
• If using a dutch oven, cover and place in oven. If using a pot, transfer to a deep casserole dish, cover tightly with foil and bake for ~90 min, adding extra broth halfway through baking time. Check rice for tenderness periodically towards the end of the baking time
• Remove from oven, stir and then cover and allow to sit for about 10 min before serving
• Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired

Note: If using fresh thyme, poke the sprigs into the rice before baking. The leaves should fall off the stems while cooking. Remove the stems before serving.

Yield: Serves 6-8

This is the other dish I made for Easter. I took this one to brunch with my family the day before. Like the roasted tomatoes I brought to Andy’s family’s brunch, I also tried this one out earlier in the week – as I’d had the recipe for quite some time but never made it before. I can’t lie: I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it looks SO pretty and delicious, smells wonderful and everyone loved it. Everyone, that is, except me.

I think we’ve determined that my distaste for this is really just a distaste for cornbread in general, which I guess I’d never really had before (I know, right?!). Initially, I thought I’d just screwed up the recipe the first time around, but nope. Tasted the same on Easter.

My husband and my family insist that it really is as good as it looks (though this picture doesn’t do it justice), so I decided to go ahead and post this despite my personal opinion. If you decide to try this out (and why wouldn’t you with such a ringing endorsement?), please let me know what you think. I’d love to have an unbiased second opinion!

Vegan Tomato Cobbler With Cornmeal-Cheddar Biscuits
Recipe Inspired by FitnessMagazine.com

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup fine cornmeal
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
5 tbs Earth Balance, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1/3 cup soy milk, plus 1 tbs, as needed
1/2 cup Daiya shredded cheddar cheese
4 tbs sugar
1 tsp sherry vinegar
3 lbs. heirloom (or regular) tomatoes, diced large and seeded*
2 tbs chopped fresh thyme

*To seed tomatoes, cut in half from side to side, not top to bottom. I find it is easiest to scoop out the seeds using your finger. You can also use a spoon or small tool, if you prefer.

Directions

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, 3/4 tsp of black pepper and 1/2 tsp of salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs
• Pour in the milk a little at a time and pulse just until dough comes together (if you need to add additional milk to form the dough, add it in 1 tbs increments). Pulse in 1/4 cup of the cheddar
• Place dough on floured surface and form into a 1/2 in. thick circle. (I found this wasn’t necessary, as the dough had already formed into a ball in the food processor, but if you need to work with it, use only enough flour to keep it from sticking to your surface) Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate
• Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the sugar and 2 tbs of water in a skillet over medium heat, swirling gently (do not stir), 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar melts and turns amber. Add the vinegar and swirl
• Add the tomatoes, thyme and remaining salt and pepper to the pan; toss gently to coat tomatoes with the caramel mixture. Cook until juices have thickened slightly, about 5 min. Remove from heat
• Transfer tomato mixture to a pie pan. Cut biscuit dough into 8 equal-size wedges and arrange in a circle on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle biscuits with remaining cheddar
• Bake until the biscuits are golden, about 40 min.

Yield: Serves 6-8