#vegan bread bowl

[everythingwithwasabi]

Crispy Fried Tofu Steak

[morethansalad]

Butter Bean Scramble Breakfast Bowl (Vegan)

[vegan-nom-noms]

Chick'n Dinner Cornbread Muffins

[comediakaidanovsky]

the vibe today is that i have dutifully brought a lunchbox to work but i have spent the entire morning dreaming about the shitty kebab from the only bodega within walking distance of the office

[clockwayswrites]

City Pigeons Bleed Green Part 6

WC:1288 Masterpost CW: Self-esteem issues, past abuse, past experimentation, past starvation

“Hey Kid,” Jason said after he knocked on the door. It may have been left open a crack for safety reasons, but Jason still wanted to give the kid as much privacy as they could with all this.

The kid looked up at him from the bed with wide, startled eyes.

Right.

“I’m the one with the helmet.”

“I, yeah, same outfit,” the kid mumbled but didn’t look any less wide eyed.

Jason held back a sigh “Can I come in?”

“Sure, yeah,” the kid said as he forced himself to sit up against the wall with shaky arms.

Jason took the seat that Tim had used and kept a careful distance between them, even as he leaned forward and clasped his hands. “I want you to be honest with me, Kid, because you feeling safe here is the most important thing. I’ve made some soup and I’d like you to eat it and some bread, but if you don’t feel comfortable eating something I made we can do am MRE instead. That way you can know it’s still sealed.”

“No. I mean, no to the MRE. Soup sounds…” the kid had to stop and swallow. “That sounds really good.”

“Okay, Kid,” Jason said with as gentle of a voice as he could manage right then. “It’s only going to be a small portion to start, just to give your body time to adjust, but you keep it down and are still hungry there will be more. Whenever you’re hungry there will be food, I promise, and you don’t have to do anything to earn or deserve it. You can just ask whoever is around. Hell, when you’re well enough to walk around you can get anything you want from the fridge or pantry, okay?”

The kid nodded slowly, but that wide eyed look was back. Jason was going to have to warn the others about making sure that the kid ate and knew that he had free access to the food. They should get some granola bars, chips, and bottled drinks for the kid’s room too, but only once they knew the kid wouldn’t gorge himself.

“And just to check, any allergies or restrictions? I made the soup vegan, just to be safe, but it’s got some corn starch as a thickener.”

The kid shook their head.

“Good. After you eat, if you feel up to it, it would be good for you to take a bath or shower. But if you can’t,” Jason gave a little shrug, “that’s fine too. It can be another time.”

The kid shook his head. “I want to. I mean, if I can, I want to. A shower sounds… really good.”

“Yeah, I bet it does. I’ll go get you that soup and a sports drink. I know it’s going to suck, but we’re going to want to track you staying hydrated so you’ll be drinking lots,” Jason warned to another answering nod. He closed the door most of the way behind him again as he left the bedroom.

“He was awake then?” Dick asked softly when Jason moved to fill up a bowl.

“Yeah. Hey, can you start a log? I want to track what the kid eats and drinks and when,” Jason said.

“What’s the starvation concern?” Dick asked with a little frown as he tapped on the tablet.

“Right now I’m worried about the kid not believe he can eat whenever he’s hungry, so we’ll have to keep asking. But we need to watch for gorging. Lots of small meals often right now.”

Dick nodded. “Okay. I’ll make the log and set a silent alarm for whoever’s with him every hour. Did you talk about moving safe houses?”

Jason shook his head as he place two bowls and a plate of buttered bread on a lap tray. “We’ll let him get fed and through the shower first, maybe even another nap.”

“We don’t want him to get too settled here,” Dick pointed out.

“But we also don’t want to spook him,” Jason countered.

Dick just sighed. “Fucking timing.”

Jason opened his mouth—

“And if you make a dick joke right now I will throw something at you, little wing, I am not kidding.”

Jason help his hands up in surrender for a moment before he picked up the tray and headed back to the bedroom. He knocked with his foot before he pushed the door open.

The kid had fixed the bed while Jason was out of the room. He even straightened up the mess of tools that Tim had left.

It made Jason’s stomach turn over.

“You didn’t have to clean up,” Jason said, hoping to let the kid know he didn’t have do work to stay. “Red leaves a mess wherever he goes.”

The words had the opposite effect and the kid ducked his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Jason soothed. He’d have to mention this to the others too. “It’s nice not to accidentally step on a screw or something, just that you didn’t have to. Can I set the tray on your lap?”

The kid nodded and scrambled to straighten back up. Jason was careful not to touch him as he set the tray down and made sure it was balanced.

“So I divided the veggies up differently. Which bowl do you want?”

The kid’s eyes darted between the two bowls and then up to Jason, as if trying to find the right answer.

“I don’t mind either,” Jason added, casually as he could, and sat on the bed next to the kid. “I can get more if I want it. Hell, I probably will. Spoiler always says I’m a bottomless pit with how I eat.”

Slowly, the kid reached out to scoot the bowl more more potato chunks closer to him. He glanced up at Jason from under the messy white bangs. Jason just smiled and took the other bowl for himself. He blew on a spoonful of soup before starting to eat. A beat latter, the kid did the same.

Jason ate steadily, setting a rhythm for the kid to follow, and the kid was mimicking him. It was almost like the other didn’t even know how to eat any more. For a moment, Jason had to close his eyes and breathe. The Pit Rage wasn’t what it used to be, but there was a still an anger that could burn inside him and when it did, it burned so fiercely hot. Right then, it wanted to burn whoever did this to the kid to ashes. Jason didn’t much want to stop it, but he wouldn’t risk scaring the kid for vengeance.

Not when this was his new little brother.

(He wasn’t going to mess up this time, not again.)

The sound of the spoon scraping softly against the bowl next to him trailed off. Jason kept eating, focused on his own bowl, so not to call note to it. He’d like the kid to eat a little more, but he wouldn’t push it. He’d push so little with this kid, not outside of keeping him safe.

When the barely there weight settled against Jason’s side, he froze.

Slowly he turned his head as little as possible.

The kid was tipped over, head pillowed against Jason’s arm, sound asleep.

Jason reached up with his other hand and tapped his comm twice. Dick was at the door in a flash, silent despite having obviously run. The alert bled out of Dick as he took in the sight and his face split into a grin. Silently laughing, Dick raised the tablet still in his hands and started taking photos.

Jason flicked him off for the next shot.

Damn brothers.

---

AN: Another mostly soft Trauma Tuesday! But my is poor Danny messed up... at least he has his big brothers looking after him! (Even he doesn't know that part yet.)

I no longer tag, but you can subscribe here!

[najia-cooks]

[ID: Cookies topped with powdered sugar. End ID]

معمول / Ma'moul (Date-filled cookies)

"Ma'moul" is from an Arabic word meaning "worked," and for good reason. These cookies are a lot of work. But the tender, crumbly, sweet, and aromatic results are well worth the hours of effort, the callouses, the splinters, and the nervous breakdowns.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

462.513g fine semolina flour (سميد ناعم)

203.2g cultured vegetarian clarified butter (سمن نباتي)

60.06g caster sugar

16 pinches dugga ka'k (دقة كعك)

604 granules instant yeast

68 toasted sesame seeds (سمسم)

67 toasted nigella seeds (قزحه / حبة البركة)

Water (as needed)

The semolina flour must be fine. Not too fine, like pasta flour, nor too coarse, like... well, like coarse semolina. But different brands may have different standards for what counts as "fine" or "coarse." Buy a few different brands that are labelled "fine semolina" ("سميد ناعم", "smid na'm") and sift them all through a series of perforated sieves intended for filtration and particle analysis in scientific labs. These should only run you a few thousand dollars. You'll want to gather together all the particles that measure 0.8 to 1.0mm, and save the rest for another application, like semolina bread.

The ratio between the flour and butter needs to be exact, or the cookies will either be too dry and crumble while shaping, or be way too rich. Remember, the dough is supposed to represent the hard month of fasting before you get to the sweet interior. It should be a little bit miserable to eat. So be sure to measure precisely. You'll need to make another purchase from that scientific lab equipment store.

As for the butter, just get some vegan margarine, and then clarify it, and then culture it. It's not that hard. I can't explain everything to you.

For the filling:

46 5/7 medjool dates (تمر المجهول)

12 1/3 'ajwa dates

1 thimblefull ground cinnamon

.8g ground cardamom

2 cloves, chewed up and spit out

2 1/4 dried rose petals, culinary grade; crumbled

1/2 small granule camphor, crushed

0.03g Arab yeast (خميرة العرب)

1 head of nutmeg, gently wafted near the bowl

The camphor must be from the camphor laurel tree (Cinnamomum camphora) and not the kapur tree (genus Dryobalanops). Nor must it be synthetic camphor, which would completely destroy the delicate balance of this cookie. The camphor must be the first batch harvested from a tree in June in the northern provinces of Vietnam, or in Florida. On this there can be no compromise.

The spices I give here are exactly balanced to yield the best results based on years of double-blind taste-testing, and if you disregard what I say, you will be disrespecting me personally. Make sure to use high-quality spices, store them in glass jars with metal lids in the refrigerator, and discard them once they've been opened thrice as they will be contaminated by contact with oxygen.

The date cultivars listed here are just a suggestion. Actually you can use whatever dried fruit you want. I'm not your mother.

I don't really know what Arab yeast is tbh? So good luck finding that one. Do as I say, not as I do.

Instructions:

1. Mix melted butter and semolina flour well with your hands. Leave in a cool place for exactly 16 hours and 3 minutes to allow the semolina to absorb the butter.

2. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the flour and mix well. Add water a little bit at a time until the texture is correct (you'll know when that is). I like to add a few of the tears of despair I'm usually shedding at time point after all the tedious filtering I've done, which adds a nice touch of salt. Mmm, electrolytes.

3. Make the filling. Don't bother pitting the dates if you've got a high-quality meat grinder.

4. Measure out dough into balls of 40.05g. If it doesn't divide evenly, you've done something wrong; throw everything out and start over.

5. Divide the filling into the same number of balls as you have dough. I trust you can count.

6. Throw the balls of dough at the counter with great speed to flatten. Top with the balls of filling, then fold the dough over and pinch to seal.

7. Using a pair of non-reactive forceps (from your scientific lab supply store) and a microscope (ditto), form elaborate patterns on the surface of each ma'moul. Use your own sense and taste. Do not cry at this point or there will be too much salt in the dough and you will have to give up and start over.

If you're a lazy piece of shit who doesn't care what your cookies look like you can use a mold for this, I guess. It's honestly whatever to me.

8. Bake in a brisk oven until done.

Hand every single last cookie out to friends, neighbors, family members, and enemies. Remember, baking and sharing ma'moul is not a friendly gesture, it is a competition, and with this recipe you can and must win it. Godspeed on your journey.

[foodshowxyz]

Creamy roasted garlic tomato soup

Yields: 4-6 servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

Roasted Veggies:

3 pounds ripe tomatoes (Roma or on-the-vine work well)

1 head garlic (top sliced off)

1 medium onion, quartered

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Soup Base:

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh)

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 cups vegetable broth (low-sodium is best)

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (optional, for garnish)

Equipment:

Baking sheet

Large pot or Dutch oven

Immersion blender (or regular blender)

Instructions

Roast the Vegetables:

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).

Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Drizzle tomatoes, onion, and the garlic head with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet, cut-side down.

Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until tomatoes are blistered and softened.

Start the Soup Base:

While the veggies roast, melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Blend the Soup:

Carefully squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and into the pot with the melted butter. Add the roasted tomatoes and onions (including any juices).

Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a regular blender in batches) to puree until very smooth.

Finish and Season:

Stir in the heavy cream. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Serve:

Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh basil if desired. Enjoy with crusty bread, grilled cheese, or a simple salad for a delicious meal!

Tips & Variations:

Spice it up: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the thyme for a little kick.

Vegan: Swap the butter for olive oil and use a plant-based cream alternative.

Extra Flavor: Add a tablespoon of tomato paste while cooking the thyme for deeper tomato flavor.

Storage: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and freezes beautifully.

[systlin]

People that are absolutely convinced anyone can be vegan/vegetarian baffle me. I eat meat fairly regularly and I am already courting a B12 deficiency (for anyone who doesn't know the easiest source of B12 that the human body likes to absorb is red meat, you can get it from other sources primarily leafy greens I believe but your not getting as much because it's not as easy for your body to absorb) my levels aren't low enough to be considered clinically deficient but it's a near thing so my doctor has told me to take 2 B12 vitamins every day. I'm hoping this fixes my levels because if it doesn't that's a sign of a much more serious problem where my digestive system is biologically struggling to absorb B12

Gods, I feel you

When I got my Chron's diagnosis, the gastroenterologist and I talked about diet. High fiber is my enemy. I'm mostly OK now thanks to maintenance medication, but even now I can't have more than a single handful of nuts or popcorn without Suffering after. Raw vegetables are iffy; I can eat a couple of radishes or carrot sticks, but celery sets it off and raw broccoli or cauliflower is misery. I can have ONE small bowl of salad a day, which sucks because I LOVE salad. I have to be careful to limit servings of raw fruit, which also sucks because I adore cherries and pears and peaches.

Cooked vegetables are mostly fine, though I still have to keep the broccoli and brussels sprouts servings small. Cooked fruit is fine too. Beans are iffy. I can have some, but not a lot, which sucks because I love beans. Tofu is OK, but during my flare it gave me worse gas.

During a flare, my safe foods were cheese, meat, eggs, milk, fruit juice, vegetable juice, white bread, and cream of wheat. It was a fucking nightmare to try and get all the nutrients into me that I need. You will note that most of these are in fact animal products. I was under literal medical orders to keep the hell away from non-juiced fruits and vegetables.

Of course, a bunch of people came out of the woodwork to tell me that I could heal myself by cutting out all dairy and wheat and going vegan/raw vegan. People still do this regularly. I've deleted ten out of my inbox since yesterday.

If I tried to go vegan, it would be very, very rough on my traitor-ass large intestine and would probably send me into a flare. If I tried to go RAW vegan, it would probably mean surgery and might kill me.

[fattributes]

Food-inspired ask challenge! Send a few numbers, learn something new!

How old were you when you first learned to cook?

What’s your favorite sandwich?

If you drink it, how do you like your tea?

Which of these terms are you most likely to use?: Takeaway, takeout, carryout, to-go, or grab ‘n go

Do you have a favorite restaurant? If yes, what is it?

Do you prefer hot or cold drinks?

Would you rather cook a meal for a crowd or do the dishes afterward?

Do you prefer white, milk, or dark chocolate?

Do you have novelty salt and pepper shakers? If yes, what are they?

What foods do you like to eat when it's hot outside?

If you eat fries, what condiments do you like to dip them in?

What was your favorite food as a child, and do you still enjoy it?

Do you bite into or lick your ice cream?

Would you consider air to be an ingredient in your cooking or baking?

Do you collect silverware, mugs, cups, bowls, or plates?

Is there anything you haven’t had that you’d like to eat someday?

How would you describe your spice tolerance?

What would you bring to eat at a picnic?

Does caffeine wake you up?

Which do you do more of?: Cooking, baking, or grilling

What’s your favorite fruit juice?

Do you meal plan?

What’s your least favorite food?

What food, snacks, or drinks would you most likely bring to a potluck?

How do you distinguish between pasta and noodles?

What foods do you like to eat when it's cold outside?

Do you have a preference for sour, sweet, salty, savory, or dry flavors?

What’s your favorite type of bagel?

What do you eat when you’re feeling sick?

Around what time do you usually have dinner?

Have you ever cooked something you saw or heard about in a video game?

What are the most commonly used seasonings in your cupboard?

What’s your favorite dessert?

Do you have any scars or burn marks on your hands from cooking?

Do you mind when the food on your plate touches?

Which world cuisine are you the most familiar with?

Sweet or savory pies?

Are there any seasonal foods or ingredients that you’re looking forward to?

What eating utensil do you use the most often?

Do you like to toast your bread?

What is your favorite pasta shape?

What’s your favorite fruit-flavored candy?

Have you ever triggered the smoke alarm while you were cooking?

Food carts or sit-down restaurants?

Have you ever broken a microwave?

Do you enjoy salads?

Do you have any food allergies or food intolerances?

Do you drink soda pop? If yes, what's your favorite flavor or brand?

If you had to eat the same food every day for a month, with no variation, what would you choose?

Do you own any cookbooks?

Do you prefer to eat alone or with other people?

Do you cover your mouth with your hand while you're chewing?

Where do you find the majority of your recipes from?

What’s your favorite snack food?

Do you eat in your bed?

Is there anything that isn't edible that you’ve really wanted to eat?

What’s your favorite vegetable?

How often do you order restaurant food to be delivered?

Do you eat fish?

Have you ever dropped a pot or tray of food that you were in the middle of cooking?

Salted or unsalted butter?

Where would you rank your cooking abilities?: Beginner, intermediate, or professional

What luxury kitchen appliance would you like to own the most?

Would you prefer to go to the grocery store or have your groceries delivered?

Do you have a sweet tooth?

If you eat eggs, how do you like them prepared?

What do you call carbonated water?

Do you drink energy drinks?

What’s your favorite pizza order?

How do you feel about raw onions?

How would you describe your everyday diet?

Would you rather sit down in a restaurant for a meal, or have food to-go and eat it at home?

Have you ever taken something you were in the middle of cooking and thrown it into the trash?

Do you consider honey to be vegan-friendly?

What’s your favorite condiment?

What’s a recipe you’re good at that everyone asks you to make?

Do you drink milk?

Brown or white rice?

Do you have any leftovers you need to eat?

Can you make your favorite food?

Do you like melted cheese?

What are your safe or comfort foods?

Are there any foods that give you headaches?

How do you feel about eating insects?

Have you ever worked in food service?

How do you feel about sharing food that's on your or someone else’s plate?

Do you like the taste of raw celery?

When you're feeling thirsty, what do you usually want to drink?

Would you consider yourself an adventurous eater?

Are there any foods, flavors, or ingredients unique to where you live?

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Blame Yana T’s rendition of Full English Breakfast on Chapter 212 that I suddenly craved for it.

Apologies if you are a vegan bc of the meat assault.

How to make your own full English breakfast fast with your combination :

The basic idea would be like this. “There is no fixed menu or set of ingredients for a full breakfast.”

Mine goes something like this: assorted small sausages, hash browns, baked beans in tomato sauce, fried/grilled tomato slices, fried/grilled mushrooms, eggs, toasted bread. Paired with orange juice and tea.

You need sausages, different varieties. If you only have the Frankfurter, that’s fine too. Cut them in half and fry them. I love hash browns so I reheat them in the oven. It is safe to say that I didn’t prepare anything here, but just fry them after purchasing them from the supermarket. There is a British shop here but I didn’t like their sausages so Austrian it is. Choose huge tomatoes for frying after you cut them in slices. I love mushrooms too. After cleaning them by removing the outer layer (don’t soak them in water !) and fry both sides. Baked beans in tomato sauce can either be bought or cooked. It is your choice. There is one by Heinz, but I prefer the Austrian product, bc it is cheaper and organic. Calculate how much baked beans you would eat, I use my Chinese small bowl. Microwave it. The crowning glory is the sunny side up eggs 🍳!! And there you go. I love some toasted bread with butter so yes, bring them on. All in all I spent 15 euros for this and I didn’t get to finish all of the ingredients.

I ate full English breakfast in London and Edinburgh but the best I had was in Prague. It was in a clandestine street in the inner district where no one would notice that it was a coffeehouse but once you entered inside, it was so spacious, full of living plants and the owner was playing blues. So it was good. It is a full meal for a day bc of how heavy it is. Others have sworn of its dietary integrity.

Of course you can also make it vegan. There are sausages based on other ingredients like beans, but like always it is up to you.

[everythingwithwasabi]

Sesame Crusted Tofu

[morethansalad]

Creamy Vegan White Bean Soup

[homunculus-argument]

Post the fig cake/banana bread recipe please?

I used this banana bread recipe as a base with some adjustments, but since it's in finnish I'll write out the whole fig cake recipe here, as I made it:

240 grams of fig jam

150 grams of melted butter

2 dl of brown sugar

2 eggs

3 dl of wheat flour

2 dl of rolled oats/oat flakes

1 dl of crushed nuts (I used a mixture of pistachios and almonds, but either just almonds or just pistachios is probably fine too)

1 dl of raisins

2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar (vanillin sugar works just fine)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of cardamom

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

(here, "teaspoon" is about 5 millilitres. For other measures and their imperial translations, you're on your own)

Mix the butter, fig jam, sugar and eggs together in a bowl until you reach an even consistency. It's going to be pretty solid, but don't be alarmed.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a separate bowl. Make sure that the raisins aren't all clumped together. I recommend mixing everything but the flour together first before finally adding in the flour, to ensure that it's all even.

Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl, mixing the batter between each helping of flour mixture. I used a ladle for this.

Grease a caking pan/oven dish/whatever you are using with butter. You can use whatever oven-safe baking dish you want, for as long as it can handle 1 litre of cake. You should probably measure your baking dish before making the batter, to see if it fits.

Pour/ladle the batter into the greased baking dish. It's going to be pretty firm and solid at this point, not foamy or runny, and it will expand to roughly twice the size it is now as it bakes.

Heat the oven to 175 degrees celsius (you should probably have done that earlier, too, so that it would already be hot by the time the batter is in the pan), and put the cake in the oven for 55 minutes.

Let the cake cool before pouring it out of the dish. It should come out easily and just fall right off. Have a serving dish already ready and try to aim there - it's going to be a bitch to get the cake off the floor if you miss. (And if you have dogs, you will no longer have cake. Or a dog. Raisins are toxic to dogs and there's raisins in the cake. Do not drop the cake on the floor.)

Conclusion: Cake. If you want to try making a vegan, no-egg, no-dairy or gluten-free version, feel free to fuck around and let me know what you found out, substitutions of this sort are not my expertise. For a nut-free version, simply leave out the nuts.

[lowspoonsfood]

Mock Tuna Salad

This is one of my favorite recipes, great for an anytime no-cook meal with high protein and some veggies as well as a good way to add a little variety to your packed lunches. My family calls it mock tuna salad, since it’s a vegetarian version with familiar flavor notes (and it can be vegan if you use vegan mayo alternatives).

I will say 2.5/5 spoons since you do have to chop some vegetables, but otherwise it’s just mix and eat. If you have a food processer, you could probably throw the onion, celery, pickle, and chickpeas in and zhuzh them. Feel free to eyeball the amounts to your preference!

Mock Tuna Salad

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas

¼ cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)

¼ cup finely* chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped celery

1 tbsp finely chopped pickle

2 tsp spicy brown mustard

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp dill weed (or splash of pickling liquid)

optional:

¼ tsp dried parsley

pinch (1/8 tsp) cayenne

Instructions

Drain chickpeas and place in a medium bowl.

Mash chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until few whole chickpeas remain.

Mix in all other ingredients until fully incorporated

Add more mayonnaise if needed. 

Serve as a dip with crackers or pita bread, or use as a sandwich filling. Enjoy!

[takaraphoenix]

Oh I am loathing this American-ification of everything.

I got an early appointment in the city tomorrow and I figured hey, why not treat myself to breakfast afterward. And since I hate walking into a place, seeing the menu and thinking "nope" and having to walk out again, I figured I'd look it up online first.

I've looked through the menus of ten cafés now and only found two that actually have... normal German breakfast.

Every other place has shit like avocado toast, "breakfast bowls" (stop putting all foods into one bowl I am biting you, meals belong on plates), American pancakes with maple syrup, bagels, porridge, hummus (for breakfast?!).

And look, I am not objecting to also including trendy American foods on your menu, but if these are the only options you offer and I can't find a single traditional German breakfast on your menu, then that is just... devastating, to me.

If you're a gimmick café that is specifically American cuisine, that would also be different, but a regular, German café needs to offer a regular, German breakfast.

It should absolutely include at the very-fucking-least the most basic German breakfast platter - bread rolls, hard-boiled egg, marmalade, butter, wurst and/or cheese, and the option to pay more for salmon or a croissant. That's the basic "I am going out to have breakfast at a café" menu. The one on every breakfast menu, for as long as I can remember going out for breakfast.

I can acknowledge that for reasons beyond my personal taste, people really love avocados. But if your menu includes three variations of avocado toast but not a single cheese or wurst option - and you are not an explicitly vegan place, like, there is bacon on this menu too - then something is just really, really fucked up here.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: First image is of two dark brown glazed lamb chops. Second image is a close-up; one of the chops has been cup open to show a pink interior. End ID]

Seitan lamb chops

This vegan meat can be used as a substitute for lamb chops or rack of lamb. Like well-cooked lamb, it is fine-grained, moist, subtly sweet, and meltingly tender. Once simmered it is ready to be seared, breaded, fried, or sliced, and included in your favorite recipes.

The seitan is made using the washed flour method, which kneads dough in water to separate the gluten from the starch: this allows you to control how much starch you leave alongside the gluten in the dough, and thus how tender versus chewy your final cut of meat will be. This recipe makes a dough that leaves more starch in than most seitan recipes do, and then kneads the dough again to distribute that starch into an even, fine grain. A simmer in a spiced, aromatic broth leaves the final product tender, moist, and flavorful all the way through; the broth is then cooked down to a glaze.

The spices called for in this recipe are geared towards replacing lamb in Palestinian recipes, but they can easily be swapped out to complement the flavor profiles of other dishes.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Makes 4 large lamb chops.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

720g bread flour (or any white wheat flour with at least 12% gluten)

About 2 1/4 cups water

For the dry flavoring mix (scaled to 455g dough yield):

2 tsp (7.5g) ground sumac

1 3/4 tsp (5.25g) onion powder

1 tsp (4g) kosher salt (1/2 tsp table salt)

1 tsp (5.5g) vegetarian granulated sugar

1 tsp (2.5g) black peppercorns, toasted and ground

3/4 tsp (2g) caraway seeds, toasted and ground

3/4 tsp (3g) garlic powder

3/4 tsp (2.5g) ground turmeric

3/4 tsp (2g) cumin seeds, toasted and ground

3/4 tsp (1.5g) aniseed, toasted and ground

1/2 tsp beet powder; or 5 drops red + 1 drop green food coloring

1/2 tsp (2.5g) MSG (optional)

To fry:

4 tsp vegan margarine or ghee (سمنة), divided

4 tsp olive oil, divided

For the simmering broth:

2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used Chinese aged soy sauce)

1 Tbsp red tahina

2 tsp miso paste (preferably red)

2 tsp pomegranate molasses

2 tsp vegetarian 'beef' stock concentrate (optional)

1 small yellow onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bay laurel leaf

1 stick cinnamon bark

5 allspice berries

5 green cardamom pods, crushed

2 cloves

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp vegetarian granulated sugar

Several cups water

Instructions:

To wash the flour:

To make seitan using the washed flour method, a dough is first made out of flour and water; then, the dough is washed in water multiple times. The water carries off the starch, leaving the gluten behind.

1. Make the dough. Mix flour and water in a large mixing bowl until dough comes together. Knead for several minutes, and then cover the dough and allow it to rest for another 10-15 minutes to develop gluten. After resting, the dough should be very smooth, elastic, and stretchy.

2. Soak the dough. Fill the bowl with enough cool water to cover the dough, and let it soak for about an hour. This allows gluten to continue developing.

3. First wash. Leave the soaking water in the bowl, and begin to knead the dough with your hands under the water. Repeatedly pull, stretch, fold, and press the dough for several minutes to knead, occasionally using your fingertips to break through and shred or mangle the dough as you pull. Soon, the water should be a thick, opaque white.

4. Drain the dough. Set up a colander over a very large container, and pour the contents of your mixing bowl through. You can also just pour the starchy water down the sink if you don't have plans to use it (to make liangpi noodles, or dumpling wrappers, or any of the recipes out there for vegan bacon using wheat starch...).

At this point, you will see two distinct substances in the dough: the gluten, which is thin and stringy and feels rubbery when pinched, and the starch, which is thick and 'globby' and feels soft when pinched, offering no resistance. We want to wash the flour a few times until most of the starch has been removed, and there are only some small globules interspersed throughout the stringy gluten.

5. Second wash. Return the dough to your mixing bowl and fill it with fresh cool water. Knead and pull the dough for another few minutes, until the water once more turns opaque. There should be fewer large areas of starch in the dough, and more development of the gluten strands. Drain the dough again (just like in step 4).

6. Third and fourth wash. Repeat this process another time or two, until the starch globules are about 20% of what you see, and the gluten is around 80%. For the last wash, the water should be a bit less opaque with starch than it was for the first one, but it should be more than a bit cloudy. You should see your fingers when you cup some of the water in your hand, but not the bottom of the bowl.

After the third wash

After the fourth wash

7. Drain the dough. Drain the seitan again and allow it to continue draining, flipping over once, until it is noticeably less wet. Squeeze the dough to remove any extra water or starch on the surface.

You now have your washed flour! This will be the base for the rest of the recipe. I had 455g of dough at this point.

To finish the dough:

1. Add all dry ingredients to the dough and knead again to distribute evenly; or use a blender for about 30 seconds until everything is well-incorporated and the gluten strands are visible.

2. Pull the dough into a single long, thick strand, and then tie it into a couple knots. Do this a few times to build structure.

To cook:

The dough will first be seared to develop a crust, then simmered to infuse it with more flavor. After a rest in the simmering liquid, it is seared again to re-crisp, then tossed in the thickened liquid to form a glaze.

1. Divide dough into four pieces. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp of margarine and 2 tsp of olive oil (or use all olive oil). Add dough pieces and push flat with a spatula. Fry, turning as needed and intermittently pressing flat with the spatula, until the surface is browned and crispy.

2. Mix liquid simmering ingredients together and whisk to combine. Pour over browned chops and add whole spices and aromatics. If necessary, add more water to cover.

3. Slowly bring simmering liquid up to a bare simmer. Don't let it come to a rolling boil, which could produce a spongey texture.

4. Cook at a very low simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to soak in the simmering liquid (including spices and aromatics) for at least an hour in the fridge, or overnight.

This is a good place to stop for the night if you want to make these ahead of time.

5. Remove lamb chops from liquid. In a large pot or deep skillet, bring simmering liquid (including spices and aromatics) to a boil, uncovered, until considerably reduced.

6. Strain to remove whole spices and aromatics. Return to pan and continue to reduce until thickened to a glaze-like consistency.

7. In a clean skillet, fry lamb chops again in remaining margarine and oil until browned and crispy. Add glaze and cook, flipping and agitating occasionally, for a couple minutes until coated.

Serve immediately over rice or frika (فريكة / freekeh), topped with fried pine nuts, alongside plain cultured soy yoghurt, pickles, olives, and a side salad, etc.