UPDATED for a more robust flavor,  April 23 2021.

Yikes! It's been months since I last blogged!  But, I haven't stopped cooking or thinking about new recipes. As I wrote about in earlier blogs, I'm on a low-glycemic diet for early stages of diabetes, which sincerely I hope will not get any worse. So, being stubborn, I do alot of research and experimentation. Sometimes it's fun and we end up with something delicious, and sometimes it goes in the compost! A learning experience! 

These last couple of months, I've spent quite alot of time working on some new vegan cheeses. To tell you the truth, I've been a bit fed up with cashews, cashews, cashews when it comes to vegan cheese!  For one thing, they are expensive, especially the fair trade, organic variety.  For another, they can be ethically compromised (See https://bit.ly/2oLeHgM for more on these issues.)  My aim was (and is) to make a vegan cheese that is delicious, easy to make, inexpensive and made with easily-obtained ingredients, and without the need for culturing.

I ran across Martine's groundbreaking recipe for Vegan Steamed Rice Cheese at lowcarb-vegan.net/vegan-steamed-rice-cheese/  I tried it right away-- it was easy to make and tasty!

BUT, it was made with white rice flour, which is not particularly low-glycemic. I got the idea to use some sort of bean flour, along with some high-resistant-starch potato starch instead, and it worked beautifully. I added more nutritional yeast, along with some white miso (for a fermented flavor), onion powder and garlic granules, for more flavor. Even better!

My far-away Australian Facebook friend Fran was also working on such things and we shared our successes and failures. I hoped (and still hope) to make a cheese that melted, but I'm still working on that. But, one day I got the idea to grate this very firm, tasty cheese and it seemed to me to be a delicious and much less expensive alternative to commercial vegan "parmesan" products.

I'm working on some other versions of this type of cheese, which I will post very soon. But I wanted to share this one with you right now because we're so pleased with it.  Let me know what you think!


Printable Recipe


BRYANNA'S  UPDATED VEGAN STEAMED "VEGAN PARMESAN"
(Low-glycemic, high in protein and fiber, nut-free, soy-free) April 23, 2021   
Makes enough to fill at least two 142g Earth Island/FollowYourHeart Vegan Grated Parmesan-Style Cheese shakers.

Low-Fat Option : I have made this cheese with NO OIL, using 1 cup + 1 1/2 Tbsps. water and it turned out just fine, but may not melt as well.

This very tasty cheese is high in protein from bean flour, and is low-glycemic. It's also a great source of resistant starch (which acts as a soluble fiber). Potato starch [not the same thing as potato flour, BTW] is also very high in resistant starch and makes for a VERY firm cheese, suitable for grating or pulsing in a food processor. 
(See https://bit.ly/2PJhaU9 for info on resistant starch, which improves insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels, reduces appetite and has various benefits for digestion.)

Ingredients:
    • 1 1/3 cup/124 g  chickpea flour (NOTE: I've tried several bean flours and this works best.)
    • 1/4 cup/ 41 g  slightly packed-down potato starch (NOT potato flour) 
    • 1 cup water
    • 1/4 cup melted refined coconut oil (preferably Fair Trade, organic)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tablespoon dark miso
NOTE: dark miso gives a more fermented flavor than the white variety.
    • 1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice OR sauerkraut juice
    • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • 1 tsp. onion powder
    • 1 tsp. garlic granules

Steps:
    1. Pour 2 cups water into your steamer pot, InstantPot or pressure cooker, equipped with a flat steamer basket in the bottom.

    2. Put all the ingredients into the jar of your blender, and blend until it forms a completely smooth, milky mixture, without lumps or visible oil droplets.

This is the Pyrex mold that I use.

Place the mold onto the steamer basket.  I fold a long piece of aluminium foil lengthwise into a wide strip and use  it to lower the mold onto the steamer basket. This makes it easier to remove the hot mold from its close quarters after it's cooked, too!



Use the aluminum foil to lift the hot mold out of the pot onto a cooling rack.


After the steaming, the cheese will still be a bit soft. Don't worry, it will firm up once it cools. If a thin layer of water dripped onto the cheese from the pot's lid, drain this off carefully.

5. Let the cheese cool to room temperature and then cover it and put it into the fridge overnight to firm up.

 
Once it is firm, you can release it from the mold and store it in a lidded container for a week or so, or you can freeze half of it, well-wrapped. The cheese tastes best if you leave it to firm and develop flavor for a day or two before eating.  You can grate the cheese on a box grater, if you wish, 



   
Scoop the resulting "granules" into two shaker bottles-- I have used two 142g Earth Island/FollowYourHeart Vegan Grated Parmesan-Style Cheese shakers, but you can just uses some jars and scoop it out. Or, if you prefer, cut the block in half,  process one half, and freeze on half, well wrapped, for grating later. PS: I keep my grated "Parm" in the freezer.



Enjoy!

                                                  

                  Patate en Tagame (with added vegan mozza shreds on top)

Want something really delicious for dinner?  Good enough for company?  But not complicated?  Have I got a dish for you!

I have to confess that I haven't been terribly creative in the food department lately-- I think it's like a "hangover" from writing the book. So, I've been cooking things from my own recipe files and cookbooks, and we've been enjoying some old favorites that I haven't made for a long time.

I love potatoes, and this casserole was, surprisingly perhaps, one of my absolute favorites from my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen".  Truly, the sum is greater than its parts where this casserole is concerned!

Printable Recipe

 

Pasta with Lemon, Asparagus, Peas and Vegan "Ham"

I posted a picture of this dish on a blog post back in May and promised to post the recipe. I'm finally getting around to it, after all of those desserts!

If you like creamy, lemony foods, you'll love this dish! And it's super easy and low-fat, as well! A perfect early summer supper dish.

Printable Recipe (sauce recipe included)


BRYANNA'S PASTA WITH LEMON, ASPARAGUS, PEAS AND VEGAN "HAM"
Serves 6

1 recipe Bryanna's Quick Creamy Sauce for Pasta (I used the sherry option)
1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into about 1" pieces
1 lb. wholewheat spaghetti or fettucine
approx. 2 cups slivered vegan "ham", loose-packed (such as Yves [I actually prefer their "bacon" to their "ham"])
1 1/4 cups frozen petit pois (baby peas), thawed
the juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 to 1/2 cup vegan Parmesan substitute (Follow Your Heart (Earth Island in Canada brand is excellent)
zest of 1 large organic lemon (use a citrus zester, if possible, for long slivers of zest, as pictured)
a handful of chopped chives

Make the Quick Creamy Pasta Sauce and set aside.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Steam or blanch the asparagus pieces until just crisp-tender, and quickly run them under cold water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.

When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, brown the ham slivers lightly in a large sauté pan, stir-fry pan or skillet (use a spray of oil from a pump-sprayer, if necessary). Add the peas and asparagus to the pan and stir-fry just to heat them up. Add the lemon juice to the Quick Creamy Pasta Sauce and then add the mixture to the skillet, along with the Parmesan substitute of your choice. Stir it around over medium heat until the sauce bubbles.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet and toss with the sauce so that everything is coated and the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide the pasta dish evenly between 5 pasta bowls or plates (preferably warm ones). Top each serving with some of the lemon zest and chives and serve immediately.

 Nutrition (per serving): 459.4 calories; 5% calories from fat; 3.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 1271.8mg sodium; 724.2mg potassium; 77.2g carbohydrates; 5.7g fiber; 3.9g sugar; 71.5g net carbs; 33.4g protein; 8.6 points.


Enjoy!

Back in May, I developed a recipe for a vegan "parmesan" utilizing dried okara-- the residue or pulp leftover from making soymilk or tofu. It was not bad, but I have been wanting to improve on it. I love Galaxy vegan soy parmesan, but it is only available in Canada online at one venue that I know of and is kind of pricey, considering how much I like to use it! That's my motivation for coming up with something I really like.

So I started playing with the recipe the other day, adding ingredients I thought would improve both flavor and texture. I like to add miso to my vegan cheeses for a fermented flavor, but you can't add much to a vegan parmesan made out of a light powdery substance, such as dehydrated okara, because it will make it soggy. So, I decided to dehydrate some miso for this recipe, in order to add more flavor. Miso powder does exist, but I have never been able to find it in my area. It was easy to make in an inexpensive home food dehydrator, and the directions are in the recipe.

So, here is the improved version, and I hope you'll like it! It contains more calories, due to the almonds and sesame seeds, but I think the calories are worth it! The recipe also uses up the okara from 2 batches of soymilk-maker okara, squeezed as dry as possible in a cloth (this is important!). The recipe makes 4 cups, which makes your effort worthwhile, too!




Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S NEW AND IMPROVED OKARA PARMESAN SUBSTITUTE
Yield: 4 cups
Updated Sept. 10, 2010

This is a great way to use up okara, the residue from making soymilk. This really looks like grated cheese and tastes "cheesey" (the dried miso powder adds a fermented flavor). It shakes out easily, too. This makes quite alot , but keeps well in the refrigerator.

2 2/3 cups dried okara (about 4 cups fresh, squeezed dry in a cloth--this is the amount from 2 batches of soy milk using my new, richer soy milk recipe)
(see Cooking Tips below for how to dry okara)
1 1/3 cups blanched, slivered almonds OR 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (raw or lightly toasted)
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2/3 cup raw sesame seeds
3 tablespoons miso powder (see Cooking Tips below)
1 tablespoon garlic granules or powder
1/2 tablespoon salt

Process all of the ingredients in a dry food processor until it looks about the consistency of parmesan. You don't want a powder-- you want a little texture. You can use a DRY blender, but you'll have to watch the texture closely.



Place some in a covered container or shaker, and the rest in a ziplock bag, and keep refrigerated. (Make sure that the container is tightly closed so that no moisture gets in while in the refrigerator.)

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 79.0 calories; 48% calories from fat; 4.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 182.5mg sodium; 182.3mg potassium; 6.6g carbohydrates; 2.1g fiber; 0.4g sugar; 4.5g net carbs; 4.6g protein; 1.5 points.

COOKING TIPS
DRYING OKARA:
If you have a large amount of okara, you can use a food dehydrator (use fruit-leather liners, or make a liner with cooking parchment), or spread it on cookie sheets and set it in the oven at its lowest temperature, with the oven door cracked open a little to let out moisture, until dry, stirring now and then.



To dry a small amount in a microwave oven:

Get a microwave-safe plate, or use the carousel in your microwave. Line it with two sheets of paper toweling (this will absorb the moisture), and top that with a piece of cooking parchment cut to fit (this will keep the okara from sticking as it dries). Spread the okara evenly on that, breaking up clumps as much as possible. Leave a space in the center empty (it burns easily in the center of the plate).

Microwave at half power (#5) in 5 minutes increments, stirring after each one, until dried. I took away the paper toweling after the first 5 minutes because it was quite wet, and replaced it with new paper toweling.

Let it cool thoroughly before using or storing (in zip-lock bags).

DRIED MISO POWDER:

This company makes freeze-dried miso powder. You may be able to find miso powder in a Japanese or Asian grocery store-- I'll have a look next time I have a chance. I wasn't going off-island when I made this recipe, so I made some myself.

HOMEMADE MISO POWDER:
(400g or 14 oz. of miso make about 2 cups of powdered miso.)

You might as well make a whole bunch of miso powder at one go-- it keeps well if very dry and airtight.

I used a cheap little home food dehydrator with 2 trays. You could probably use the oven or microwave methods, as well. Check the dried okara notes above for directions. You'll have to dry the miso in small "dabs".


This is the whole 400 g carton of miso on one tray.

When the miso is shrunken and partially dried, break it up a bit more. I broke it up in the Vita-Mix until it was almost powdery-- more granulated, really-- and ten spread it back on the drying tray. Continue drying until you feel no moisture.

When it is dried and cooled off, grind it in a DRY Vita-Mix or other heavy-duty blender, or in small amounts in a DRY electric coffee/spice mill until powdery. If there are any hard resistant bits which refused to be pulverized, you can sift them off. Store in a tight jar or zip-lock bag.



Cheers!

Okara "Parmesan"

What is okara? It's the pulp, or residue, leftover from making soymilk (see this blog post and this page on my website). If you make soymilk frequently you will have lots of it! Many people make interesting recipes with it, but, I must confess, I usually simply compost it!

Does it have any nutrition left? Yes, it does! It's full of fiber-- both soluble and non-soluble-- for one thing. It also contains some protein, calcium, iron and B vitamins. If you want to save it to use later, you can freeze it or dehydrate it (see the Tips in the recipe below).

The justhungry blog has some great ideas for using okara that I hadn't thought of (though not all vegetarian)! For instance, she mentions that you can rehydrate dried okara by simmering it in water or soymilk until soft, and then draining it. One great idea is to use fresh okara in polenta.

I never liked using fresh okara in breads, as it seems to sometimes "weigh them down". But justhungry suggest using dried okara in quick breads, etc., for a lighter texture-- sounds promising!

I just remembered that Dori from the Bakehouse blog (who has lots of okara recipes!)!) recommended using okara in my nut-based parmesan substitute recipe, but I never tried it. The other day I did, and it's good! Thanks, Dori! We can't get the Galaxy Foods Vegan Soy Parmesan up here anymore, so this is something I will definitely use often!

I'll post a few more okara recipes soon!



PS: for a new and improved version see this blog post!

BRYANNA'S OKARA PARMESAN SUBSTITUTE (Hat Tip to Dori from the Bakehouse blog!)
This is derived from my recipe for “Almonzano” (from my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen"), but Dori from the bakehouse blog suggested using okara in it instead of almonds. The measurement for the okara is mine. This really looks like grated cheese and tastes "cheesey" (the miso adds a bit of fermented flavor). It shakes out easily, too. You can easily double, triple or quadruple the recipe and keep it refrigerated or frozen. IT'S ONLY 12 CALORIES A TABLESPOON!!

PS: By "squeezed", I mean okara that comes after squeezing and twisting the soymilk out of a cloth or cloth bag, or pressing through a fine filter. The okara left in the filter of a soymilk maker is much wetter and you would need to squeeze that further.

1 1/3 cups dried okara (2 cups fresh, squeezed) (see Cooking Tips below for how to dry and store)
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light miso

Process the okara, yeast and salt in a DRY blender until as fine as possible. Add the miso in tiny bits. Process again so that there are no lumps. Place in a covered container or shaker and keep refrigerated. (Make sure that the container is tightly closed so that no moisture gets in while in the refrigerator.)

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per tablespoon): 12.7 calories; 18% calories from fat; 0.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 58.3mg sodium; 49.3mg potassium; 1.8g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 0.0g sugar; 1.5g net carbs; 1.0g protein; 0.2 points.

Cooking Tips

DRYING OKARA:
If you have a large amount of okara, you can use a food dehydrator, or spread it on cookie sheets and set it in the oven at its lowest temperature, with the oven door cracked open a little to let out moisture, until dry, stirring now and then.

To dry a small amount in a microwave oven:
Get a microwave-safe plate, or use the carousel in your microwave. Line it with two sheets of paper toweling (this will absorb the moisture), and top that with a piece of cooking parchment cut to fit (this will keep the okara from sticking as it dries). Spread the okara evenly on that, breaking up clumps as much as possible. Leave a space in the center empty (it burns easily in the center of the plate).

Here's my set-up for microwave-drying small amounts:



Microwave at half power (#5) in 5 minute increments, stirring after each one, until dried. I took away the paper toweling after the first 5 minutes because it was quite wet, and replaced it with new paper toweling.

Let it cool thoroughly before using or storing (in zip-lock bags).

Cheers!