Fabulous food finds and farewell, Daiku

You know those great Eureka! moments, moments where you find something so cool, so good, that you wondered how you ever lived without it? Well, in the past week, I've been lucky enough to have two Eureka! moments, both of them food-related.

First up Susan's vegan pepperoni recipe, based on the infamous Seitan O'Greatness from the PPK boards. (I've heard that recipe itself is based on an older vegan pastrami recipe from Joanne Stepaniak, so this is definitely a gem that's been around the block!) I know a lot of people have already made this, but if you haven't, I say do it! This was officially my first attempt at cooking seitan from scratch, and it was so easy. The texture and taste are not just better than regular boiled seitan, but honestly better than any store-bought meat substitute. Make it yourself, know what goes into it, save money, get a better taste, you can't lose!

While it was baking, the whole house smelled like an Italian restaurant. We used this pepperoni to fill some calzones. (The dough was left over from the infamous deep dish pizza night). The fennel seeds and other Italian seasonings made this pairing perfect, but the seitan o'greatness has an infinite combination of flavors that you can play with to make it suitable for any recipe.

Calzone out of the oven.

Calzone food porn: filled with pepperoni, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, red sauce, tofu ricotta, and other goodies.

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Next revelation? I've found it. After years of searching and many recipes, I've found the perfect vegan brownie recipe! It's moist, chewy, and fudge-like, not fluffy and cake-like. Click here for the recipe from the Vegan Ice Cream Blog. This satisfied a late-night chocolate craving like nothing else. The only thing I might change next time is reducing the fat a tiny bit. But if you've been craving that perfect fudge brownie taste and texture in vegan form, this is a must-make recipe.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it gives instructions on how to make a proper flax egg substitute. In the past, I've merely mixed some ground flax meal with water when a recipe called for an egg substitute. However, I've now learned to blend it with warm water at a high speed (i.e. in a blender, not by hand). The result is much more gooey and suitable as an egg replacement. Bonus: I've kept the extra in the fridge for any future recipes that call for flax egg. And, I've added it to my morning smoothies instead of straight-up flax meal, resulting in a MUCH smoother, less gritty smoothie.

This brownie heart goes out to the lovely Daiku who will be gone from Friday until Tuesday. He will be attending a conference in New Orleans. (Enjoy the French Quarter Festival, sunshine, and warmth, traitor!) If any of you know of any good veg-friendly restaurants that he can check out while he's there, please let us know! I'll miss you, pookie.

Ok, time to go back to the books.

Bijou and I usually have the same expression when we sit in front of schoolwork!

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P.S. One more shameless plug: a BIG thank you to everyone who has voted for me in the Blogger's Choice Awards! You still have time to vote for this blog (and all the other wonderful blogs nominated). Click here to vote! And a special shout-out and thank you to Domino for the nomination.

Fabulous food finds and farewell, Daiku