Beefless Stew & Food Equals Love - Aka Recipe #2 - Filed Under Main Courses

Cincy's stew in Fiesta's bread bowl

Cincy Freedom's 'beef' stew has taken a log of about 4 days to prepare.   Normally this wouldn't happen, but I've had such a weird and busy weekend it happened this way.

Friday night I prepared the 'beef' which is what we veggie folk call "seitan" or for lack of any other words, specifically - gluten.  It looks very hamburgery, not particularly 'beefy'... but it's the way it was squeezed and pulled.   I don't have the fancy machines that the places that create this stuff for the grocery stores do to make it look perfect like sliced chunks of steak - but I'm only human you know.. they haven't replaced me yet with a robotic version -  so on that note, I did pretty well with that.  (I wonder what I'd look like as a robot?)

Saturday I prepared Fiesta's bread bowls at my sister's house while she, my mom and I did tomato juice canning.   On top of that, I let the neicage weisage actually drive my car - un-attended, to go to nana's house to pick up milk and oreos!!  (maybe it was my lack of decorum - because I wanted oreos too.) But this thing has nothing to do with the other.

prepped, raw veggies.

Sunday I prepped the veggies for the stew so that Monday morning I could throw everything into the slow cooker and let it go while I was at work. I did have to get up about 15 mins earlier to get everything ready - but that was a moot point because, wouldn't you know it!?!  I was already awake!   I've been having a terrible time sleeping for the past few weeks.  The only really GOOD sleep I got for some reason was on Saturday night into Sunday.  I slept a nice 9 hours.  Sunday night, not so much.  I was up at 4 am, wondering why the crickets aren't as loud as they are when I lay my head down at 10:30 pm.   Who ponders crickets at 4am?   Apparently, I do.   Ugh.   Because of all this sleep deprivation - I about lost my mind on Monday night after leaving the parents house.   I was already feeling pretty crappy with allergies, and just pure exhaustion, but I guess the almost flat tire left me on a "I might as well cry and get it out now" thing.. which in the end just made everything worse.  It got good again, but right now, I'm suffering with seasonal allergies, exhaustion and it's hard to see and breathe.. my nose piercing even hurts! :(  But anyway.   I'll just say - I'm taking it easy.  Gotta get back to work tomorrow though, and I'm ready to! 

So - the stew.   Not too mixed reactions.  Daddy had one of my bread bowls.. which ended up in some conversation about the 'old country' (apparently daddy is from Italy?)  He must have liked the bread because he didn't give it any negative reviews.   Mom liked the stew but thought there was too many onions in it.   Sister liked it but was a bit afraid of the 'meat'. I don't blame her though - Seitan is an acquired taste.   I liked it all.. I smothered vegan butter all over the bread and sucked down the stew..  aside from the seitan, of course, it tasted like beef stew - so, five stars for me.   Slow cooker is still at mommy's getting a "warshin'" and I'll get it on Saturday during pickle making.  I did not get a picture of anyone eating.. I was in rare form Monday night.. you're lucky I got what I did.  ;)  I'm glad to say i'm so much better now - as long as I could get rid of my puffy allergy face and pain in my head - i'd be 100%!

Ready to cook!

On a side'er note - I was thinking yesterday of how food (specifically food having been made for someone) equals love.    It doesn't matter if it's horrible (I've also made the assumption that if you love me you'll tell me if something tastes horrid, but that's another story.)  But the fact that someone took the time to make food, to slave over something for anyone, says that in one way or another they love you.    I'm not saying that every pot-luck I've gone to means that gilhooley and shoomooley love me like ferns love a cool mist of water,  I mean, if you're going into my kitchen (or I'm going into yours) and one or the other of us is taking the time to create something... even if it is just boiling water for pasta.   There's love in there.  You can't fake that!  You just can't.   I know the work that goes into making things.  Not just food, but stuff in general.   I used to make essential oil products (occasionally still do)  I make jewelry, so on so forth... the work you put into it, the thought - it's pure love (or at least a strong like, lol)  I learned it from my creative mother, who learned it from hers.  Food prep is love, kids.. it's love.  I just keep bringing myself back to chopping, grating, measuring and for god sakes - peeling!!  If I've peeled something for you - consider yourself lucky and outstandingly loved!  ;) (GAH. PEELING!)

Next week I pondered eggs benedict, but I might be making this for myself.  I've not decided yet for sure what I want to do.  I think, actually, I'll make a version of 'tuna salad' instead for Tuesday and take it over to Christy and Elena for our Tuesday night L-word blowout.  (No, we do not allow Elena to watch the L-Word - she goes to bed first!  I just got Christy into it.. it's fun to watch these episodes again - we're only on the first season!)  This weekend might be a bit weird anyway on the cooking front so I think I need to make it subtle and quick.  I've got Monday off so it seems like the perfect time to work on something.

Saturday mom and I are canning pickles so actually that might be a perfect thing to use for relish for this 'no-tuna' salad... hhhhmm!

Sunday, the sister and I are running in the Cincinnati Zoo's "Cheetah Run".   Hoping to see Laura D-C there as well, as she has said she's running too.  We may even have Christy there.  It'll be a 'running party!'   This is my first serious 5k.. so I'm pretty excited, as well as nervous.   Cross your fingers for me.  

Til this Friday all - keep the love going and treat yourselves and others well.




Music enjoyed while writing this blog:
The Cure - Fascination Street:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FISdkTWPi4g

The Pixies - Where is my mind:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrdpliMfoAM&feature=related

Flock Of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKFjD28qPwQ

Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQtLoJlQD6E

The Smiths - Stop me if you think you've heard this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btOyj3qM_Dk

Uh Huh Her - Dance With Me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMgIqWRndaw

From Monument To Masses - Comrades and Friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrTxgLfNsts

Beauty And The Beast - Belle (Disney's Beauty and The Beast):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IltAsKmVroQ

The Little Mermaid - Kiss The Girl (Disney's The Little Mermaid):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QrKiod8rXM

Kreo - Burn For You:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PoX1cPgCRg

Kaskade - Be Still:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrc8IQ96-v4


Current Motivation - Pure love <3

Current Craving - Sleep and a clear nose and painless head.

Seitan Worshipper

Ok, clearly if you don't get that joke, you are not, have never, or never will be a vegetarian. :)
I made seitan tonight.  There's a reason we buy this stuff from the grocery store, friends... OMG IT'S A MESS!!!  Ok, if you don't like messes (like me - I'm getting better but I've still got that weird 'omg don't make a mess in my house' gene stuck deep in my - um, i dunno whatever) anyway this is a messy job, folks.. messy messy messy! (wasn't that the words of some Christmas cartoon character?)

the dough that gave me bulging biceps.

glutenous mass, washed.

All joking aside and mess aside, it was 'fairly' easy - if you don't care that you will WORK YOUR ARMS OFF!  Now I know why bread makers from the 18th century had muscles of steel.  I think I used more muscle kneading, squeezing and washing my dough to make it into gluten, than I ever have lifting a weight or two working out (save for that time I lifted 100lbs of pure steel on a weight bench) - but I'll not gloat - because I'm not 'a gluten for punishment'.. ahahahah hahah haha haaaa... ok, bad joke.

the brown vegan broth that makes "beef".

Anyway as I said - what a mess.  The dough is one thing, it's the washing of the stuff to create gluten which is the nasty part.   My once black tank top is now powdery and dusty, all the stuff on my sink was spattered with glutenous masses... just yickity yick all around.   The fun part about this was creating the broth that it cooks in to make it taste like the meat that it's supposed to be mimicking.  This particular half of my gluten is mimicking 'beef' so I made a beautiful brown broth, complete with a 'smokey' flavor and plenty of seasoning.. I even gave it the special 'black lava' sea salt - which is usually only reserved for reeeeealy special things.  I usually only use pink himalayan, but this was special enough for black lava.  MmMm.   I kept the other half of the gluten mass to create 'chicken' for the chicken and noodles I plan to make later in the season.

the 'beef' cooking!

I'm tellin you what though - as far as looking a bit like beef - it does, and it SMELLS divine in all sense of the word.  

finished, hand made,  'beef flavored' seitan!

This whole concept has me EXHAUSTED.   I am hoping it tastes like the seitan I purchase at the store and not some weird, chewy, "makes no sense why it's in here and tastes like crud" something or other in my stew.  Live and learn I guess.   It's time for me to go to bed!  Long day tomorrow.  Tomato juice making and bread making... oooh it never stops!  It's a good thing I'm busy.. if I wasn't, I'd be in trouble.  (I would! Doing what, I dunno I just know i'd be in trouble.)

Music Enjoyed while cooking AND writing this blog:  Goldfrapp - Head First - The whole album  --  http://www.goldfrapp.com/discography/head-first

Current Motivation: Every cow on it's way to the slaughterhouse, every calf who'll never see the light of day, and every bull who never knew any kindness....  this one's for you, kids.. if you don't think anyone loves you - know that there's one girl out there, trying to make it so that your ancestors don't have to go thru all of this horrible stuff.  <3

Current Craving:  Chocolate

The cluck and the moo and the everything in between.

Feeling a bit stressed today...boohlahh.

Anyway - -

Good Ol Cinci Freedom

I just love local celebrities, don't you?
I've decided that this weekends recipe is going to be dedicated to a local celebrity and one of the lovely ladies of 'feather' who is now living on the same farm as she did.  But who am I speaking of?   Cincinnati Freedom!! Who else?
Although Cinci Freedom has passed on, she was still a staple of talk here in the Cincinnati area for a short time.  I believe she actually made an appearance at a Reds game as well. Do any of you remember this?   Cow love!

Along the same lines - I am dedicating part of this recipe to Fiesta the chicken as well, a fellow 'Farm-Mate' of Cincy Freedom at The Farm Sancutary in New York.
Although not local, it's important to know that these animals do need our help.  The Farm Sanctuary is very dear to my heart.. I make sure to donate at least yearly (Usually around Thanksgiving I donate to a couple of very happy turkeys and make a recipe in their names for our family get-togethers!) 

lil miss 'Fiesta'
 

So, without further ado - this weekends recipe is going to be called:
Cincy's "Freedom tastes good" Vegan Stew in Fiesta's "Party on" Bread Bowls!
The bread was adapted from "The Fresh Loaf" Sourdough Bread Bowl Recipe.  The Stew was adapted from Ms Paula Deen's Southern Beef Stew Recipe - 'ya'll'  ;)   My Guinea Pigs? - Well, my sister and my mom again.. although I think my sister might be scared of the bread bowl.  I'm hoping the neicage will be around to have a bite too!   And maybe daddy (Mr. 'there's no fiber in milk' - {inside joke}) himself will have some bread.  We'll see!

My biggest research here was that I promised myself I was not going to buy all the 'fake meat' products and anything already pre-made from the store.  Sometimes, with certain things, this might be an option - but right now, it's not for me... so the hardest thing I'm about to do with this is make fake 'beef'.

I have such a busy weekend ahead that my plans to be shoulder deep in foodstuffs will be all weekend and then some!  Tonight (after tomato pickin with mommy for tomorrows juice canning experience)  I will be making fake beef.  Tomorrow - while the tomatoes are cooking down to make the heavenly tomato juice that my baby mama LOVES, I'll be making Fiesta's bread bowls, by hand tvym.. knead, rise, punch, knead, rise........   That being said I still have to make room for toning exercise, kundalini, a five mile jaunt and a cleaning.   Woah is meeeeeeeeeeee!!  I still have to cook this stew sometime Sunday too! 
   Next weekend may be just as busy... but let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?
So - research finds that the nutrition information is as follows and once again, thanks to 'The Sister' for figuring out the Weight Watchers Points on this.


Nutritional Info:
Cincy's Freedom Stew                   Paula Deen's Beef Stew
1 Cup                                                         1 Cup              

Calories:              140                               222
Carbohydrate:       24g                            20g
Protien:                   7g                              14g
Cholesterol:           0mg                        35mg
Fat:                         3g                             10g
Fiber:                    4.5g                          3.5g
WW Pts:                  4                                6


Fiesta's Party On                 The Fresh Loaf's Sourdough
Bread Bowl - 1 bowl             Bread Bowl - 1 bowl

Calories:                     284                        400
Carbohydrates:           34g                      42g
Protien:                       24 g                      25g
Cholesterol                  0mg                       2g
Fat:                            5.4g                          7g
Fiber:                         1.3g                      2.0g
WW Points                   7                            8

It's lookin' good!   (I think)  now, hopefully I can do Ms. Freedom and Ms Fiesta prouder than a moo and a cluck!
And I've got too much to do today than to sit here and idley blog... just wait though.
You'll hear more when I'm complaining at some point this weekend that I'm 'bored'. :P

Music enjoyed while writing this blog:  Dr. Oz.
Current Craving:  I plead the fifth
Current Motivation:  Loving farm animals. <3