Chicka Chicka Yeah!
I promise I recognize the irony of admitting that I don’t fancy meat substitutes and then immediately dedicating a two week period to faux meat meals.
But I wasn’t thinking far beyond tzatziki today.
Growing up within miles of Tarpon Springs will do that to a girl (give her random Greek food cravings). Baklava, avgolemono soup, tzatziki, souvlaki – I think about them all the time.
I modified this recipe by replacing the yogurt/sour cream with Tofutti sour cream and doubling the dill.
I shredded the cucumber rather than dicing it. In hindsight, I should have squeezed the cucumber with a paper towel to remove excess moisture prior to mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. It was a tad too watery.
Then what to do with the sauce? Leftover Gardein? I microwaved a mini, room temperature pita for 15 seconds and a Gardein patty for 30 seconds. After cubing the Gardein, I topped it with some iceberg and COVERED with the vegan tzatziki.
I will surely be making the thicker version of this sauce often. I loved it. As far as the whole souvlaki shebang? I’m Gardein-ed out. Fear not, the faux meat meals will be winding down, effective immediately.
BLT. VLT. VLA?
Last week I deviated from my usual sandwich at Cafe Hey and switched it up by trying the “VLT” – Vegan Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato. But since I still cringe like a kindergartener at the thought of consuming raw tomatoes, I subbed avocado.
It was amazing.
So amazing that I was determined to recreate this “VLA” at home.
And having just made a fresh loaf of bread, it was the most perfect of timing.
Who needs a panini press when you have a tea kettle full of water?
I can’t tell if I 100% loved the sandwich or if I 90% loved it and 10% loved the MacGyver feeling that accompanied creating a make shift tea kettle panini press. Either way, it was a gold star ‘recreation of a meal’ moment for this girl!
Dough Hook Hooked
Warning! I’m addicted to baking bread. It’s going to be a problem.
My initial thought after baking my first whole wheat loaf was to move on to the next level, to challenge myself with a more complicated recipe. But after some extreme quality time with Google, I realized I needed to master some basics before proceeding.
As much as I wanted to healthify my bread, white bread flour is the best starter flour out there. Without getting into too much detail, it has to do with bread flour having a higher gluten content than all-purpose flour. More gluten means a stronger web of proteins in the dough which means it’s more difficult for the CO2 created by the fermented yeast to leave the bread. The more CO2 left in the bread, the fluffier it will be.
The next step was choosing a recipe. After more Google QT, I was dead set on making Emeril’s Basic Italian Loaf. Simple steps, simple ingredient list, I was sold.
1-3/4 ounces of yeast?? What the! I couldn’t even begin to figure out a way to split to recipe to utilize my 1/2 ounce yeast packet, and I’m a math girl!
I began my search again, more quickly this time, and found this recipe. The ingredient list was perfect, but the 31 steps were a little out of control. I decided to wing it.
I combined the ingredients and steps I liked the best from Emeril, food.com recipe 1, and food.com recipe 2, and came up with this:
–
FoodFash’s Starter Bread
3 Cups of White Bread Flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar in the Raw
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance
1/2 Ounce Active Dry Yeast (1 Packet)
1 Cup Very Warm Water (120 – 130 degrees F)
Olive Oil
Spray Bottle
–
Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl of warm water. The water should be just hot enough that you can’t leave your fingers under the faucet. You want to be sure that the water isn’t too hot or it will kill the yeast.
–
Add flour, sugar, salt, and Earth Balance to mixer bowl, using your dough hook, and turn to Speed 2.
–
Gradually add the water/yeast mixture to the bowl and mix at Speed 2 for 10 minutes.
Coat the ball of dough with olive oil, cover the bowl, and store in a warm place for an hour (I used my microwave).
–
Punch the dough, use your rolling pin to create a rectangle, and then roll the dough into a loaf shape, pinching the ends, and making 4 diagonal slices in the dough with a sharp knife.
–
Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet, cover with a towel, and store in a warm place for another hour.
–
Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Use a spray bottle to cover the dough with water and bake for 3 minutes. Repeat the water coating steps 2 more times and bake for a total of 15 minutes.
–
Remove bread from oven and coat with olive oil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
–
Tada!!!
It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!
The crust was crispy, but not too crispy. The inside was fluffy and flavorful. This loaf was simple and perfect, especially for beginners.