The Seitanic Versions

I like seitan (wheat gluten).

It is the stuff from which lots of fake meats are made.

I like gluten.

If you are going gluten-free, send me your unused gluten.

Gluten is high in protein.

I like protein.

If you are interested in a non-animal source for protein, wheat gluten is a good one.

I make my own seitan.

It is easy to do.

And you can do infinite varieties.

Here is the formula for infinite seitan:

1 part vital wheat gluten to 1 part fluid.

Then add to spices (add wet to dry).

Knead or stand mix until it is resistant (you will learn what this means after a short amount of experience).

Shape (into sausages, poultry breast-looking things, rounds, the Eiffel Tower...)

Bake wrapped in foil for 45 minutes on each side (total 90 minutes) at 325 degrees.

Cool.

Eat.

Or cool, then...

Refrigerate for long times.

Freeze for-like-ever almost.

Cool.

What kind of fluids?

You decide. Mix and match.

Salsa, pineapple juice, apple juice, water, soy milk, almond milk, agave nectar, pumpkin purée, honey, wine, beer, applesauce, peanut butter, "liquid smoke," tomato paste...

What kinds of spices?

You decide. Mix and match.

Sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, soup mixes, taco seasonings...

Experiment.

Squashtitutions

Winter.

Potatoes. Squashes.

An opportunity to exchange one for the other.

In general, squash has fewer Calories than potatoes for the same weight.

Try substituting squash for potatoes as side dishes, in soups, mashed, baked, w/marshmallows, etc.

Vary the types of squash.

It works well and offers a new world of tastes.

Transformer

Peruse the Gourmet-O-Matic (tm) website and you will see the relationships among chutneys, salsas and relishes.

Well, what to do when you need something different to pair with another type of dish, e.g., barbecue sauce?

No fear.

Just use our same principles to create one.

Here is a way.

Generally speaking, BBQ sauces are a bit heavier than the others on thick, tomato-ey flavored stuff.

Take a chutney, add some tomato paste (or ketchup), blend and eat.

By using a chutney, salsa or relish as a base for BBQ sauce, whole worlds open up.

Not only can you give your sauce an international spin, you will use ingredients you might not otherwise consider as BBQ sauce candidates, e.g., raisins, dates, mangoes, nuts.

It works and it is good.

SCORE!-dalia

It's a Greek thing, skordalia.

Basically, mashed potatoes, garlic and vinegar.

You can add olive oil.

It is a dip/spread thing.

It is also Gourmet-O-Matic (tm)-able.

Base - potato (any type), bean, legumes, nuts

Flavor - garlic, onion/shallot/scallion, ginger, salsa

Oil - olive, walnut, macadamia, etc.

Acid - vinegar, fruit juice (e.g., lime, lemon), wine

Dippin' stuff - crackers, bread, sticks, crudite

Gooood.

Kaboche, Kabocha, Life Goes On

Squash season.

Hooray!

And I think that the squash easiest and bestest to prepare is kabocha.

Plus, it is about as naturally sweet a squash as you will find.

Wash.

Pierce.

Nuke/wave in covered (vented) bowl 5-10 minutes (depending on size and power).

Cut in half.

Scoop out seeds.

Eat. Skin and all.

Wanna get fancy?

What else is a squash? A bowl!

Fill the cavity with cooked veggies, meats, beans, grain mixture.

Eat it all.

Enjoy it all.

Darn that was simple.

Yes You Can!

Elitists make way.

Step aside.

Canned foods can be as nutritious or even more nutritious than fresh, depending on how old the "fresh" stuff is and how good you are at selecting it.

Whatever.

Fact is, even if you are not a fan of the can, in a bind it can save you time.

Keep on hand the following in cans, just in case:

Corn

Beans

Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Tomato Sauce

Pumpkin

Chiles

It will simplify your life.

Cold and Creamy

Summer and a hot one.

There are lots of ways to make ice cream-like stuff.

Blender, juicer, freezer, ice cream machine.

Vary it.

Use almond or soy milk in place of moo juice.

Add peanut butter (reconstituted peanut flour can work) or avocado or flax seeds or flax oil or omega-whatever (if you believe in those things) to smooth the final product.

Frozen fruits can also add "creaminess," especially in blender/masticating juicer ice cream.