Curious Cutlets

When it comes to the topic of vegan cooking I feel like for some, the whole idea summons up terrifying thoughts of flower children braiding each other's hair and playing wooden flutes or even worse- PETA demonstrators dressed up as animals in sexy bikinis. My general rule for vegan recipes despite my lactardation: add cheese!

But this recipe from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz didn't require any cheese. Even the various side dishes that paired with it were completely vegan. This recipe is for her signature chickpea cutlets. It's a tasty blend of garbanzo beans and vital wheat gluten [the drools just flowing now, I know it] These two meals were prepared months apart and the second time around was much more of a success.

When it comes to vital wheat gluten, bread crumbs and beans, you really don't want to mess around with measurements. Seasoning is where you can get that creativity going. This first batch had a mix if chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper. It was an interesting pair with the green bean casserole and garlic mashed potatoes. I'm gonna stack it up to one too many flavors that kept me from deciding on a uniform taste for the night.




My second encounter with this recipe was this past Monday. What started as an overwhelming desire for a homemade mushroom gravy that I came across in Veganomicon turned into a pretty savory, successful meal. The gravy consisted of sage, rosemary, basil and thyme with onions, garlic and mushrooms. The base called for a mild white wine but I seemed to have sipped the last of the bottle as I got to that part of the recipe so opted for a white wine vinegar which really complimented the various herbs in the end.

For sides I went with the lemony roasted potatoes which I also found in the trusty Veganomicon. It was a play on Greek potatoes with the combination of fresh lemon juice, herbs and a hint of tomato paste. Then I sauted up some kale and spinach for some serious ruffage. [I will return to my ongoing battle with kale in a later post] For this meal I used the same combination of herbs that were in the potatoes and gravy for the cutlets. The rosemary really tied the three dishes together in the end.




I'm hesitant to follow recipes as closely as I did with these, but in this case it was definitely a delicious success.
I can say that I am confident putting my full trust in Ms. Isa Vegan Extraordinaire whether it's her savory foods or sweet cupcake recipes. Don't fear the V word.. because a lot of the time it can be quite satisfying.. even without the cheese.