Broiled Tofu, Flax and Soy Bread, Brown Betty, etc

I'll be away from my computor, or without ability to post pictures, etc. to this blog anyways until the 5th of July. I am making a great take along "chik" gluten soy patty to throw in the grill for that family fourth outing PLUS and I have been doing some yummy things with zucchini, I'm looking forward to sharing this on Wednesday when I get back!

HAVE A GREAT FOURTH!

More on Tofu. This is marinated in Bryanna's Breast of Tofu marinade (see post earlier this week for recipe) and then broiled at 450 degrees in the oven on a blackened old cookie sheet. I dipped these slabs into seasoned flour before baking (see recipe below). Bake until you like the looks of it, checking first at eight minutes, flip and then eight minutes (or less /more, depending on how crispy you want it). I wanted mine pretty brown, but is still flexible and a little moist on the inside.

Bryanna's Seasoned Flour (the almost no fat cookbook p. 49). Combine the following and keep in sealed container in refigerator (or freezer): 2 C whole grain flour, 1/4 C nutritional yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp onion powder, pepper to taste. Dori Note: Make sure what you are coating is wet. If you are a "deep-fried" person who likes a thicker breading, flour your tofu, dip in marinade or soymilk and flour agian...repeat once more. I did this once to satisfy a disgusting "chicken fried steak" burger craving for Dave to show him that it could be done. It worked, but I prefer mine lightly coated and baked.

I like to pack these "breasts" into cold sandwiches to carry for a day, umm but now that I have gained some freegan tips, I will now only use my own reuseable container to carry sandwiches! The bread I used here is flax and soy bread, a recipe I developed at the bakehouse when I first started my little business. Bear with me while I walk down memory lane. The first year I came out with this bread I sold alot, I'm not kidding. ... I was seriously cooking! The state newspaper had a write up on the health benefits of flax and soy one weekend when I happened to be at the right place and time. This was before supermarkets caught the whole grain organic idea. Flax and soy became my signature bread and niche.

I really do love working with the my customers at the bakehouse, but I also really wore out from the first couple of years and got to the point where I realized I had to go pro and hire people or downsize and stay a mom and pop shop... stay small for enjoyment, that's what I decided to do. I am strictly a VEGAN, ORGANIC, WHOLE GRAIN baker (period), no more and no less. I capitolize those words 'cause I used to get asked, "Do you have anything with with white flour", (no) and then many thought that a baker must specialize in eggy, white refined sugary, or dairy in my breads (no no no). I was once asked.... how do you make bread without milk? I thought the question was dumb, but I wanted to be respectful. I said EASILY, want to try some!

Some people expect the same from a small business as they expect from their 24 hour chain food market. I think they should instead expect the same kind of expertise and friendliness from their chain food store instead. I know ... rants, I am getting phone calls from former market customers asking where I am and I miss being there, transitions always have sort of issues. I also know I desire to finish my certification and that takes priority this year. I hope my former customers (vegan and otherwise) read my blog and realize how easy it is to eat great anyways!

Here is a BAKEHOUSE Flax and Soy Bread Machine recipe I created to help my non- baking sister (who doesn't use it anyways because she waits until I make it before eating any again). I made changes in this recipe 7-2-06.
You must have a 1 1/2 - 2 lb capacity machine. NOTE: I use a BOSCH Universal to knead my bread, it kneads so well that a 100% freshly milled whole grain gets enough gluten development to be able to give the nice rise and lightness many appreciate on a sandwich bread. In my cheapo (but $50) Oster bread machine I must use a little organic all purpose flour to get this to work and rise well. You can replace spelt for both the white wheat and all purpose flour in this recipe one for one. ALSO - check your machine five minutes into kneading to make SURE the DOUGH BALL is a ball and that when you touch it with your finger you can almost hear the giggle from the infamous TV doughboy. If not you may need to add more water or flour!

Mix the following ingredients in the order specified by your bread machine:
1 1/3 C distilled water
2 Tbsp light virgin olive oil or safflower oil
2 Tbsp turbinado or sugar in the raw
2 tsp sea salt
1 3/4 cup freshly milled whole grain WHITE WHEAT (Montana gold, aka golden 86) flour
*I have noticed some groceries stores have began to carry this or you can actually mill your own IN STORE! (yeah!) If you do not get freshly milled your flour will have lost a lot of natural vitamin E and will be drier, you may need to compensate with a little more liquid
1/2 C soy flour (or besan chickpea flour if you cannot find this)
1 C organic all purpose wheat flour OR whole wheat BREAD MACHINE flour (pkg specifies)
* 3 Tbsp ground flax meal
* 3 Tbsp brown flax seed (is the prettiest, you can use golden also)
1 Tbsp yeast (I use SAF brand, but I think flieshmans will work too)
DO NOT USE EXPRESS BAKE CYCLE! I do not use the whole wheat cycle which takes a bit longer, I use a light crust. My machine makes a good batch in just under 3 hours, I know machines do vary. I have also had the opportunity to experiment with five other brands of machine at various costs. They all bake just a little differently

Okay, now more great food! How about a little more stirfry from Bryanna's authentic Chinese Cuisine, this is Chinese 'Beef' and Broccoli in Vegetarian 'Oyster' Sauce. The apple brown betty is my own breakfast creation with a side of wildwood soy yogurt, plain but stevia sweetened.
It's simply leftover brown rice with cinnamon and organic raisins, sweetened to my preference. I have added crushed pineapple to this breakfast concoction before and liked it well enough. I sometimes heat it and other times leave it cold.

And at last the little one, although we are debating names we have not yet decided. He is licking his baby paws here, he agrees that the food here is paw licking good. This guy loves my bread!

He has this thing with jumping to attack anything that moves, anything, but is slowly learning that we don't like to play like that. Moving thing - talking lips.... try having a conversation and then suddenly this furocious kitten appears playfully attacking your face like he would another kitten, but you have skin that rips and bleeds. = not fun! We are now trained to look to make sure we know where the kitten is before we open our mouth to speak.

He has also decided that his place to "potty" is in the bathroom... good even though the litter box is not there. Ummm, let me finish this statement.... the bathroom bathtub. Of all the places he could be going I have to admit that this one is easier to clean. We are moving his litter box to the bathroom today to see if we can retrain.