The 'I Need a Recipe' Thread

[poxic]

Vegans sometimes use it to add a meat-ish flavour (umami) to veggie dishes, including curries. That's about all I know about it.

[Shro]

I know it features surprisingly often in Indian cooking. My dad uses a tiny bit of it when he's making coconut chutney for dosas, and it just doesn't taste right without it. Of course, only a pinch is used in most cases.

[Nath]

It's one of those things that mellows out as it cooks. I wasn't aware of it until one day as a kid I found a container that had been used to store 'hing' (as it's called). It had been washed, but still smelled quite strongly of the stuff. Dissuaded me from ever learning to use it in my own cooking, but it's a standard ingredient for most of my relatives, and it's never bothered me in cooked form.

[Amarantha]

I read somewhere that it's used as an alternative to onions/garlic, since those are apparently banned in like the Ayurveda or something. I have actually used a light sprinkling onna potato pizza once, when I was out of allium-family veg, and it worked pretty well.

[beyondweird]

This thread is exactly what I've been looking for!

So, this year I will be living with 5 other girls, of which 2 are vegan. I enjoy baking a lot, and I really don't want to leave them out, so does anyone know any tried and tested vegan cake recipes that I could make for a relatively low price? (I'm a poor, poor student).

I have NO experience at all with this, but can bake fairly well. Ideas would be wonderful

[Bakemaster]

Vegan cake is pretty simple; replace your butter with vegan substitute or vegetable oil, replace your eggs with applesauce or banana, and you've got a really moist version of the cake you were making before. I haven't been let down by a well-reviewed vegan cake recipe on the internet yet.

[Zith]

Really? How does swapping the eggs like that alter the baking behavior? And is there anything that'd point you in a direction between applesauce and banana? I'm guessing banana changes the cake's flavor more than the applesauce.

[Zohar]

I also heard from a vegan friend just a few days ago that you can use about 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with some boiling water to replace one egg. A (non-vegan-but-still-needed-a-no-egg-recipe) friend of mine told me it worked well.

[poxic]

IIRC, eggs provide moisture, binding, and fluff. The fluff and binding don't really have effective vegan options, but they aren't needed for many cakes. In most basic recipes, eggs can be deleted completely without much adverse effect. You'd have to experiment (or research online) to find which ones are fine eggless.

Egg moisture is mostly where the replacements come in. The ground flax + boiling water together produce a gel that can act as a slight binder as well as moisture. Bananas and applesauce are pretty much just additional moisture, but they add a touch of texture and flavour on top of the water and can enhance a cake in small ways.

I haven't done a lot of vegan baking, but I found most cakes fairly easy to substitute. Muffins were a bit dodgier, I think, as was anything that expected a lot of rising. Play around, try some online suggestions (searching "vegan cake recipe" will bury you with links), and build your confidence as you go.

And hey, do let us know if you find an awesome recipe, eh?

[Bakemaster]

Really? How does swapping the eggs like that alter the baking behavior? And is there anything that'd point you in a direction between applesauce and banana? I'm guessing banana changes the cake's flavor more than the applesauce.

When you're using just enough banana or applesauce to replace eggs, there's not a huge flavor imparted by either. If you were making honest-to-goodness banana bread or apple cake, you'd be using quite a bit more banana or apple. I'm not sure what it is that makes these work as egg substitutes, to be honest, and they aren't perfect substitutes by any means; they just provide another way of baking a cake that comes out nicely. As Poxic pointed out, the biggest differences between conventional and vegan baking are in the texture and the leavening. Vegan cakes tend to be moist and dense. Eggs provide a way of simultaneously incorporating air into the cake (leavening) and holding it together (binding). If you try to leaven with baking soda/powder instead of eggs, you lack a binding agent and will probably end up with something that crumbles or flakes very easily.

I've heard of the flaxseed method, but never tried it. Additional health benefits of flaxseed might mean that's the way to go for some people.

Personally, I love vegan cakes, and they go over well with people regardless of their dietary choices. You just can't expect to be able to make any recipe vegan and have it keep its defining characteristics, particularly if they center around a certain texture as with sponge or angel/devil food cakes.

[Shro]

I have some goat cheese that I want to use and don't just want to eat it with crackers. It's a semi-soft goat cheese.
Any ideas? I made a gravy with it awhile ago for my pork chops, and it was absolutely delish. I have also used it with bacon on sauteed spinach. The thing is a little bit goes a long way, and I still have a bunch left!

With sliced tomatoes, olive oil and coarsely ground black pepper.

Gee Willikers THIS WAS AMAZING. And it's very creamy, and doesn't hold up well with heat. It was absolutely perfect with these things. I also added some bread toasted with olive oil drizzled on it to add more structure to it, as I had sliced to tomatoes a little thin, and the crunch was a nice addition. Do I call this a goat cheese bruschetta?

It's one of those things that mellows out as it cooks. I wasn't aware of it until one day as a kid I found a container that had been used to store 'hing' (as it's called). It had been washed, but still smelled quite strongly of the stuff. Dissuaded me from ever learning to use it in my own cooking, but it's a standard ingredient for most of my relatives, and it's never bothered me in cooked form.

Oh yeah! I remember that! On certain religious days, it's tradition to fast from meat, and I was doing that one day, and my mom smelled garlic on my breath, and she told me that it was a no-no. But it's only something I would do like twice a year. My mom is practically vegetarian anyway. At least, for three days out of the week. And let me tell you, there is not much of loss in flavor. My dad was diagnosed as diabetic awhile ago and as a family, we all took steps to eat healthier. I can't even eat egg yolks anymore, they just taste too rich. I don't waste them though, my dog Bo appreciates them greatly.

Umm... sorry for the tangent. But now you know more about how my food tastes have developed?

[Telchar]

Ideas for whole Dungeness crab? They were on sale out the seafood place I go to and I couldn't resist, but I've never done them before. Tips?

[beyondweird]

Thank you for the vegan-ness advice! I just made my first batch of vegan chocolate cakes and tested them on my parents, who said they were lovely. So I'm happy now

[Ended]

I have a tub of rather nice clotted cream which I'm struggling to use up. Any ideas? (I can only eat so many scones per day!)

[Shro]

Okay, so I was trying a new recipe for mac and cheese to try and make it healthier, and I ended up making a giant batch. What can I do with leftover cooked mac and cheese with a mild flavor? I was thinking about adding some chicken and broccoli, but that's so... uninteresting.

[Zohar]

I freeze my leftover batches...

[Nath]

Use it as a cold side for some Hawaiian plates?

[Telchar]

So I made the dungeness last night. Harder to cook than legs, as the external temperature can be radically different than the inside. Also, lots more stuff on the inside that needs to be cleaned than I thought. Other than that, really good.

[Shro]

Use it as a cold side for some Hawaiian plates?

Hawaiian plates? I am intrigued. Please to describe.

[Nath]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_lunch
You know, I think I just figured out what to have for lunch.

[pooteeweet]

Digressing back to asafoetida, I've heard it's an anti-flatulent. I haven't tried using it yet because I'm afraid of stinking up my pantry.

Regarding flax seeds, I read that their health benefits are diminished or eliminated by heat.

[Amarantha]

I haven't tried using it yet because I'm afraid of stinking up my pantry.

Mine came in a little plastic jar that wasn't airtight, but I keep that jar in a larger, plastic-lidded glass jar (ex-peanut-butter), and that contains the smell just fine.

[Zohar]

Any recommendations for a sauce for sweet-potato filled ravioli?

[dubsola]

Maybe just a simple sage butter / sage oil? Failing that, some sort of cream sauce...

[AntonGarou]

sage and cream?heat cream, add salt, white pepper and dried sage.

[theGoldenCalf;]

Any recommendations for a sauce for sweet-potato filled ravioli?

Blue cheese cream sauce immediately comes to mind.. that is, if you're not dieting

[Zohar]

I think I'll make a cream-white-wine-mustard sort of sauce.

[|Erasmus|]

Cream, white wine and just chopped fresh basil. Works beautifully. Would be just as good with some mustard in it.

[Shro]

Avocados. I love them. I need more uses for them besides guacamole, or putting them on burgers or toast. Ideas?

[Amarantha]

Avocados. I love them. I need more uses for them besides guacamole, or putting them on burgers or toast. Ideas?

Half an avocado makes a great vessel for serving prawn cocktail - you can eat the prawns, dressing and avocado all at once.

Speaking of prawns, there used to be a sandwich chain here that did an awesome combination of prawns, avocado, lettuce and lemon pepper inna croissant.

Ham and avocado make good flavours for a sandwich, but it needs something for texture, like maybe lettuce, or...

Something trashy but satisfying that I do once or twice a year - sandwich of avocado and potato crisps. With a little black pepper for tang.

I've had tossed salads with avocado chunks in; adds a nice contrast to the usual salad-y textures and flavours.

A signature dish at a local restaurant (Shakahari) is fingers of avocado and red capsicum wrapped in a thin slice of eggplant, tempura-fried and served with a vibrant coriander (aka cilantro) sauce. It is unbelievably good. Personally I wouldn't try this at home because I'd be worried about overcooking it. I can't stand cooked avocado, just love it raw. But if you don't mind it cooked it could be worth a try.

[TheSkyMovesSideways]

Avocados. I love them. I need more uses for them besides guacamole, or putting them on burgers or toast. Ideas?

Palta Reina! (Spanish: "Queen Avocado")



It's a Chilean dish consisting of avocado halves filled with mayonnaise, vegetables and usually meat (ham, tuna or chicken), served on a lettuce leaf. Here's a decent looking recipe.

[Bakemaster]

Avocados. I love them. I need more uses for them besides guacamole, or putting them on burgers or toast. Ideas?

Sopa de Tortilla. Sarah has a rough recipe that she uses, that's fantastic, and very strong with the lime. Basically chopped chicken breast, black beans, onions, a spiced vegetable broth with a lot of lime juice, and tortilla strips. We do veggie broth so that the vegetarian in the household can eat it without chicken. Assemble in a bowl by layering in this order: tortilla strips, chicken, broth (with the black beans and onions in), shredded cheese, cubed avocado, salt and pepper. It's FANTASTICAMAZING. Sarah can correct me if I got any steps wrong or missed any ingredients.

Everywhere we go it seems the sopa de tortilla is in a tomato base. I don't know which is more authentic, but I don't really like the tomato based versions.

Last week, while throwing together my lunch for a long hiking day, I put cut-up avocado, nectarine and blueberries on top of some cottage cheese in a container. It was a pretty strange mix of flavors, but not a bad one. Just very strange. And by the time I'd finished it, I decided I liked it.

[Bakemaster]

Palta Reina! (Spanish: "Queen Avocado")

Slight tangent, more because I find it interesting than to "correct" you: The Spanish word for avocado is aguacate; the word palta is used in a few South American countries and originates from one of the indigenous languages of that region. I only knew aguacate when I read your post, and so just spent ten minutes reading a bunch of really interesting blogs and language articles about the subject.

[TheSkyMovesSideways]

Interesting, apparently Palta is a Peruvian ethnic group.

Anyway, Shro, another one for you: Avocada and mango compliment each other AMAZINGLY in salads.

[pooteeweet]

I had avocado ice-cream recently, and ever since I've been thinking of incorporating blended avocados into some sort of smoothie or cocktail.

[PictureSarah]

I went with a group of friends to a vegan Chinese food place, and they had a whole list of (I assume) smoothie-type drinks, including "blenderized avocado." I ordered it, but as it turned out, their blenderizer was broken.

[pooteeweet]

Last night I had a blenderized cucumber drink. It had potential, but needed some tweaking. The cucumber was a tad sour/bitter. Ideas?

[poxic]

A teaspoon or so of sugar? That's usually good for cutting acidity or bitterness, as long as you don't use enough to actually make it sweet.

[Nath]

Last night I had a blenderized cucumber drink. It had potential, but needed some tweaking. The cucumber was a tad sour/bitter. Ideas?

When I was a kid, most of the cucumber we got was a little bitter, probably because of the climate it was grown in. Our solution was to cut off the ends, and rub them against the tip of the cucumber is a circular motion to draw out the bitter sap.

Are you blending the cucumber with the skin on? That's another source of bitterness.

[Rinsaikeru]

My friend does this same thing to cucumbers, and I had no idea why he was doing it. Thanks for your explanation Nath.