Vegan Pot Au Feu

I had never heard of Pot Au Feu until watching the "Create" channel. We seriously only get four channels at our house and Create is one of them, lucky for me. Rick Steves and I are BFFs. Anyway, Hubert Keller was on and he was making a giant, whole vegetable and animal meat dish. My furry friends being cooked up for me to eat, I could do without but the rest of the dish; carrots, baby potatoes, celery, and cabbage...well that all looked right up my alley. 

“It was a shrewd calculation. An estimated 12 percent of millennials say they are “faithful vegetarians,” compared with 4 percent of Gen X’ers and 1 percent of baby boomers, according to one study.”

— Sam Tanenhaus from The New York Times

This recipe is inspired by Chef Keller and his Pot Au Feu. It's a classic french dish that is traditionally served with mustard, salt, and bread. It's essentially whole vegetables and a protein simmered in a broth with spices and herbs. I used tempeh as a protein instead of adorable cows.

Pot Au Feu is shockingly quick and easy to make since the vegetables need really very little prep and as far as ingredients go, it's quite simple. While simmering, it filled the whole house with a comforting, savory smell that made my mouth water. 

Although, I did exhibit a bit of unfortunate planning. You see, it's been raining for a week straight up here in Alaska and I knew this would be the perfect meal to warm my wet and chilled bones. A great introduction into early fall. Except....yesterday it was hot! Exceptionally hot. So hot that on my lunch break at a nearby lake, I had to leave early because I'm pretty sure I was experiencing heat stroke. 

Either way, this vegan Pot Au Feu was a no-frills, delicious dish. Hearty and filling. 

You see that rutabaga there on the bottom right? I (not thinking clearly) threw that bad boy in too. Don't do that. It was unapologetically bitter. 

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Vegan Pot Au Feu

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-20-2014

This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat. Pot Au Feu was enjoyed by royalty and peasants alike. It’s very easy, quick, and exceptionally adaptable. Note that vegetables like rutabaga and brussels sprouts should be avoided because they can turn bitter when cooked this way. Adapted from Chef Hubert Keller.

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 2 springs of fresh parsley
• 2 springs of fresh thyme
• 2 springs of fresh oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 2 celery stalks, cut in half
• 2 large carrots, cut in half
• ½ kohlrabi, peeled and halved
• ½ small head of cabbage, halved
• 1/2 lb. mixed baby potatoes, whole
• 1 8 oz. package of tempeh, quartered in triangles
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 dried bay leaf
• ¼ cup stone ground mustard, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Once the onion is prepared, cut off a small chunk of the bottom and stuff in the whole cloves. Place the onion halves and clove stuffed bottom in a large pressure cooker or soup pot.Prepare the leeks by first slicing them in half down the middle and washing in between each leaf very well to remove all the dirt. Then, chop off the roots and remove one outer leaf. Gather the fresh herbs in a small bundle and wrap the leek leaf around the herbs to create a bouquet garni. Slice the remainder of the leeks, leaving about an inch of the green tops to discard. Place the herb bundle and sliced leeks in the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and heat over high until simmering. Don't worry if the broth doesn't cover all the vegetables. Cover with the pressure cooker lid and bring to pressure. Then turn to low and maintain pressure. Cook for about 10 minutes. The vegetables should be tender, but not falling apart. If using a soup pot, bring almost to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with stone ground mustard, coarse salt and bread if you like.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 6

German Word of The Day

Peasant --> Bauer (yep, like Eddie Bauer) 

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article from the NYT about us Millennials. Seriously, it's very interesting and inspiring,

Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

So, one of my lofty goals in life is to eat more lentils and beans. Yep. That's pretty much my life's work. Eat. More. Food. No really, lentils and beans are unbelievably good for us and most people I know (including myself) definitely aren't getting enough.  My goal is to have at least one dinner that has a substantial amount of either lentils or beans per week. For some reason, soup always seems to end up being the most practical implementation of this goal.

Now, I've never been a huge chili-loving person. Maybe it was the ground meat, I dunno, just never really loved the stuff. I prefer my chili mild and non-traditional. You know, the kind that's all like, "I'm-posing-as-chili-but-I'm-really-a-stew..." Yea, give me that one. The humble and kind one, not the self-assertive, rude, and overbearing one. Yes, in my mind chili is brash. But not my delightful Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili...I'm not a crazy person, I swear. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

If you're expecting this to be an in-your-face (like I said, brash), I'M CHILI, type of chili...this isn't that kind of dish. People get seriously all weird about their chili, so this is just a courtesy heads-up. I live in Alaska, not Texas okay?

However, if you want a completely lovely, and delicious non-traditional chili spiced with common chili spices that hint you could be eating some kind of cousin of chili...then, darling step right up and devour away. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

A spiced chili-like stew filled with protein rich lentils and tempeh, and tender sweet potato. 

Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Serves 8-10

• Aromatics:
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric 
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 
• 1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
• dash of black pepper
• Sustenance:
• 1 7 oz. package of tempeh, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, diced
• 2 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I like BPA-free cans and no salt added)
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups dry lentils (I like red)
• fresh chopped cilantro, for topping 

In a very large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the remaining aromatic ingredients and saute for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and the onions begin to soften. 

Add the tempeh, red bell pepper, and sweet potato. Saute for a few minutes, then deglaze the pan with the canned diced tomatoes. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Add the broth and lentils. Stir well and bring to a boil over high heat, then cover partially and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Next, remove the lid and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. 

Serve hot and topped with fresh cilantro. 

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

Produce On Parade - Lentil, Tempeh, and Sweet Potato Chili

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/2780509" params="color=7fb695&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

German Word of The Day: Lentil --> Linse (pronounced: lynnzah)

Good Deed of The Day: Save the bees!! Bees are super important, peeps. We kind of need them. Chemical giants Dow and Syngenta have asked the Environmental Protection Agency to authorize the expanded use of two highly toxic pesticides that could have deadly consequences for bees. Tell the EPA to reject the companies' reckless proposal and protect bees from the devastating impacts of these two dangerous chemicals.

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Umami Udon Noodles

As vegans we don't get a whole lot of umami in our lives. What's umami? It's one of the five basic tastes. Surely you're familiar with the sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes. Well, Umami is a kind of savory flavor that was first scientifically identified in 1908.  Meat and cheese are good sources of umami, as well as shiitake mushrooms, and I often find myself craving this savory type of flavor. Nutritional yeast is a source of umami, which is probably why I consume questionably monstrous large quantities of the stuff. If you want to read more about umami, you can do that here and here. Also, check out this interesting little article on umami by NPR, here, while you're at it! 

Tempeh, shiitake mushrooms, and miso combine their delicious powers for one hearty and savory udon noodle dish that's sure to cure that umami craving when it hits! 

Umami Udon Noodles  

Serves 4

• 8 oz. packaged udon noodles
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz. tempeh, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 oz. dried (or 8 oz. fresh) shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced & soaking water reserved
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste (or minced ginger)
• 1 tsp. lemon grass paste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 cups shiitake mushroom soaking water or vegetable broth
• 3-4 Tbsp. miso (I like red)
• 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
• fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
• sesame seeds, for garnish

Notes: If you have an aversion to tempeh, feel free to use firm tofu, or neither!

Start by soaking the dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of very hot water. I like to put a big spoon over the mushrooms to help keep the, submerged. Allow to soak for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain when ready to use but keep the soaking water for later on in the recipe. If you're using fresh mushrooms you won't need to soak them and you can just use vegetable broth or water to replace the soaking water.

In a small saucepan, cook udon noodles according to package instructions. This usually includes boiling the noodles for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. We will not use the sauce packet, it's not vegan.

In a large frying pan, heat the sesame oil. Add the onion, tempeh, and garlic. Saute for about 10-15 minutes, or until the onions have started to brown and caramelize. 

Now, add the sliced shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and lemongrass. Saute for an additional 3-5 minutes. 

Add in the soy sauce, vinegars, water/broth, and the miso. Stir well to combine, dissolving the miso and deglazing the pan.

Add the udon noodles to the pan along with the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the noodles are heated and the spinach is wilted. You can even cover it with a lid to help the spinach wilt. 

Serve hot and garnished with some fresh cilantro and sesame seeds. 

Hello umami bomb.

Toe tappin' to MGMT – Electric Feel

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