Chili and Corn-Biscuit Casserole
The Voluptuous Vegan
by Myra Kornfeld and George Minot

Their version was already vegan but not gluten-free.  The book has some fabulous recipes but not ones designed for quick meal prep.  Their version used a blender, food processor, skillet, pot, and several bowls.  I replaced the seitain with tofu to eliminate use of the food processor (and because seitain is wheat gluten).  I also made a few other changes here and there to save time and for personal taste or ingredient availability.

I almost always double the recipe, so I provide both sets of measurements here.

The Chili

Start soaking the beans the night before or early morning the day you are making this recipe.  If you don’t have time, try to soak them for an hour and then pressure cook them.  After soaking (6-8 hours or more is best), drain out the water and use fresh water for cooking.

Any combination of beans will do.  Kornfeld and Minot like anasazi (picture), but they aren’t exactly supermarket beans.  I like adzuki and black beans, but I’ve used a variety of different kinds.  If you use canned or pre-cooked, double or triple the amount and measure the beans drained.  The amount isn’t critical.

For the veggies, chop them fine and use any combination that you have on hand that you like.  The original recipe calls for lots of garlic which I leave out, as I’m not fond of it.  But you can include as much as you want.  I’ve made this recipe many times with no onion or garlic and it’s delicious.  Just be sure to use more than one (3 is good) vegetable.  Put them in a large measuring cup as you cut them.  If you end up with too many of one, transfer them to a bag or container and refrigerate or freeze for your next saute or soup.

I use fresh oregano since that’s what I have on hand.  1 teaspoon dried is about equivalent to 1 tablespoon fresh.  If you prefer different spices, use them instead.  Kornfeld and Minot are real big on their chili varieties (it’s actually a complaint about their book) but it’s not necessary to use them all.  Just throw in what you have and like.  Whole, flakes, powder. I left out the chili in the cornbread.

The original recipe calls for dry sun-dried tomatoes but I use olive oil packed ones instead.

If you don’t want tofu, you can use tempeh, or seitain (wheat gluten), which is what the original recipe called for.  Or you could even use browned ground meat.  Or leave it out entirely and just make the chili thicker.

Chili Directions:

Cover the beans with 7 cups water and simmer until tender (about an hour, sometimes two). Add salt to taste after they are done.

If you are using whole chilies, remove the stems and seeds and soak them in boiled water for 15 minutes.  If you are using dry tomatoes, add them as well.

Saute the vegetables in olive oil on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stir often.  Add the herbs and cook for another 5 minutes.

Sauteing red onion, carrot, and celery

Put the chilies and tomatoes, along with the soaking water, into a blender and process until smooth.  If you need more liquid, use the rice wine and/or lemon juice.

Crumble the tofu with your hands into small bits.  Put the tofu in a pan with the chili-tomato puree and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Cooking tofu with tomatoes and chilies

If your beans have excess water, pull it out with a cup.  Add the tofu to the beans.  Add the rice wine and lemon juice, if you haven’t already.

Vegetables and tofu added to the beans with some extra salt

Simmer the beans for 15-20 minutes as needed to thicken.  Add back some of the bean water if it gets too thick.  You want the beans to be pourable but thick enough to stay on a large spoon.

Taste and add more salt if needed.

The Cornbread

The original recipe called for wheat flour with the cornmeal but I changed it to be gluten-free.  If you don’t want the soy, go ahead and use twice as much brown rice flour (or white) or sub the gluten-free flour of your choice.  I use soy to boost the protein content and lower the carbs.  The xanthan gum is needed to help the gluten-free flours rise.  You can use guar gum instead but I’ve never tried it.  If you’re not gluten-free, you can use wheat flour and drop the gum.

Cornbread Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly oil a deep 7×9″ baking dish (for single recipe).

Get out two bowls.  One for dry and one for wet.  Use the bigger one for dry and make that mix first.  Note that you can make everything for this recipe well ahead of time except for mixing the wet and dry cornbread bowls together.  That needs to be done at the last minute.

In the larger bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In the other bowl, mix the vinegar, soy milk, oil, and water. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend and emulsify (or use the blender). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until the ingredients are fully moist, but do not over-mix.

Spread a thin layer of batter on the bottom of the baking dish.  Sometimes it spreads better than other times.  You can add a bit of water if you wish, but don’t overdo it and don’t mix too much.

Spreading the cornbread on the bottom of the pan (it needs more water)

Pour the chili on top, even it out, then add the rest of the batter, getting it as even as possible.  I was a bit tired and rushed when I made it this time.  I really should have added more water to thin out the batter.  But the dish was still quite good when it was done.

The casserole fresh from the oven

The original recipe calls for 45 minutes of baking.  But I never found this to be enough, especially not when I double the recipe.  Check it after 45 minutes but pull it out when the cornbread on top is lightly browned and no longer has a raw taste.  Give the casserole at least 5 minutes to cool before cutting.

This is delicious served with a chopped/sliced lettuce salad with a tangy vinaigrette.  Or with any other raw salad of your choice.  Also with salsa or guacamole.

Finished casserole ready to eat

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

The first thing about the book is that the title is misleading. The recipes are actually vegan, not just dairy-free, and most of them are full to the brim with sugar (not white sugar, but sugar none-the-less). Her main focuses are vegan ingredients, natural ingredients, and low fat.

What makes the book interesting is the discussions of how to substitute ingredients (mostly alternatives to traditional sweeteners, dairy, and eggs, plus reducing fat and using whole foods when possible) along with the ample trial and error from the author’s kitchen. Some books may suggest you can use X instead of Y, but McCarty tests it and tells you how to change the recipe to accommodate Y and also if Y doesn’t work.

Many of the recipes are gluten-free by virtue of what they are (sorbet, for example) but most do contain wheat. McCarty discusses wheat alternatives and gluten-free flours but the testing isn’t as extensive. There is a gluten-free cake recipe and gluten-free cookies, plus tips for pie crust. Many books dedicated to gluten-free will use eggs (and often dairy) so this is a good complement to those if you need to avoid both.

Although the recipes look good (I haven’t tested them and I don’t know if her tips are accurate, but I have no reason to doubt them), McCarty’s nutritional advice can be a bit off. She spouts old scientists’ tales that have been disproven (like the myth that dietary fat causes breast cancer) and she’s one of those vegans who feels it isn’t enough to simply not eat animal products.

I’m vegetarian for ethical reasons (both for the welfare of the animals but also for the environment, resource allocation, etc) and that’s enough. There are health considerations, but I’ve never felt the need to turn animal products into some health-destroying conspiracy. Some of her “facts” are on the ball and others are overkill.

The recipes are fairly clear, with ingredients explained (though you often have to go to other sections for that). If one recipe depends on another, there is a page number reference. Each recipe has a sidebar with basic nutritional information.

Recipe Categories:

• Fresh Fruit Desserts
• Sorbets
• Pies and Tarts
• Crisps and Cobblers
• Cakes, Tea Breads, and Muffins
• Cookies
• Puddings
• Nut Milks, Pastes, and Creams

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.

Ethnic Cuisine: The Flavor-Principle Cookbook
by Elisabeth Rozin
Revised edition, 1983 (original 1973)

This is one of those books that all cooks should be exposed to at least once. It organizes the world of food in a completely novel, but understandable, way. The idea is that each cuisine builds off of a few basic differences that set it apart from other cuisines. Choice of ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavor principles. The book concentrates on the last one.

Flavor principles are the way in which a culture combines ingredients for a unique taste. For example, Italy combines garlic with tomato but in Greece, they add cinnamon to the tomato instead. The difference between Korean and Indonesian cooking which both use soy sauce, brown sugar, and chile? Koreans add sesame and Indonesians add peanut.

For any cook, or anyone who enjoys eating different ethnic foods, Rozin’s book helps to clarify and enlighten. For a cook dealing with food restrictions, the book can be extremely practical. It’s easy to get stuck in the flavor principles we’re used to. So when we suddenly can have a particular ingredient, we feel trapped and end up with food that just isn’t right, though we can’t figure out how to fix it.

Each cuisine illustrated in the book is rich and full with the ingredients that they have. So if you want ideas on creating flavor without garlic, for example, there are many alternatives you may not have thought of (who thinks to add cinnamon?). The majority of the cultures listed don’t use dairy at all and many don’t use wheat, and the sample recipes reflect that. If you find a cuisine you like, now you know how to name it and you can go get books with a broader range of recipes.

The book does have its flaws, though they are mostly in leaving you wanting more. A map would have been nice. A chart of the flavor principles by region, not just a list. Better indexes and table of contents. And simply more of everything. More cuisines represented, more flavor principles, more details, more about cooking technique and ingredient choice. In short, I love this teaser of a book but I want to buy the encyclopedia.

(note: the books are out of print and both pictures link to the 1992 version depicted on the right)

©2012 Norwitz Notions. All Rights Reserved.