Causa; photo by Linda Long
BRYANNA'S VEGAN CAUSA (kow-sah) (Peruvian Tri-Color Potato Salad Terrine)
This is very beautiful and very delicious. This dish is usually full of oil and stuffed with seafood, but this version is low in fat and vegan. If you prefer, you can make small round molds for individual servings.
LEMON DRESSING:
1/2 tsp salt
2 small cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1/2 cup Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings (see recipe below)
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
POTATO LAYERS:
1 lb russet potatoes
1 lb yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Golds (or pink-fleshed potatoes)
1 lb purple or blue potatoes
10 1/2 Tbs Lemon Dressing (save the rest for the Filling)
6 Tbs vegan mayonnaise (such as Vegannaise)
1/2 Tbs salt
FILLING:
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium bell peppers (yellow, orange, and/or red), in thin strips
10 pieces sundried tomatoes in oil, squeezed to eliminate as much oil as possible, and thinly sliced
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced thinly
2 Tbs pickled jalapeños, minced
the remaining Lemon Dressing
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.
GARNISHES:
2 large cobs corn, cooked and cut into 1 1/2" rounds (these are used cold or at room temperature)
1 large steamed or baked orange sweet potato, peeled and sliced in 6-8 pieces (these are used cold or at room temperature)
18-24 Peruvian Alfonso olives (or Kalamata olives)
MORE OPTIONAL GARNISHES:
avocado cubes, tossed in lemon juice
Roasted, pickled, or raw red bell peppers
pickled hot peppers
pretty lettuce leaves
To make the Dressing:
With the back of a teaspoon in a small round-bottomed bowl (or use a medium-sized mortar and pestle), mash together the salt and garlic until it is like a paste. (The salt grains will help mash the garlic to a paste and the garlic juice will dissolve the salt.) Whisk in the Oil Substitute, olive oil and lemon juice with a fork, or small wire whisk.
This method of mixing is easy and convenient for small amounts made just before dressing the salad.
To make the Potato layers:
Cook the three varieties of potatoes separately. You can peel and simmer the russet and the yellow potatoes (cut into even-sized chunks) in water to cover until just tender, but the purple or blue potatoes fall apart easily, so I steam or micro-steam them with the skins on. I cut them into about 2" pieces first. I micro-steam them for about 10 minutes.
To remove the skins of the blue or purple potatoes, hold them under gently-running cold water and the skins should slip off easily. be careful not to saturate the potatoes with water.
Mash EACH separate batch of potatoes in its cooking pot or a bowl. When mashed, add to EACH batch of potatoes 3 1/2 Tbs. of the Lemon Dressing, 2 Tbs. of the mayonnaise, and 1/2 tsp. of salt, and mash again until smooth. Reserve the remaining lemon dressing for the Filling. Set the mashed potatoes aside, covered.
To make the Filling:
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and peppers and saute until they soften. Add the sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, jalapeños, remaining Lemon Dressing, mix well, and then taste for salt and pepper.
To assemble:
Line a 9x5" loaf pan , or a 10" round casserole with oiled plastic wrap, with an overlap. Press the one of the mashed potato mixtures onto the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 of the filling, then another one of the potato mixtures, then the remaining filling, then the remaining potato mixture. Smooth the top, fold the overlapping plastic wrap over and refrigerate for several hours or days.
To serve:
Fold back the plastic wrap covering the top of the terrine. Unmold the terrine onto a platter and garnish as desired.
Serves 8
Nutrition Facts (The nutrient count does not include the garnishes.)
Nutrition (per serving): 231.5 calories; 23% calories from fat; 6.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 657.2mg sodium; 1125.3mg potassium; 40.7g carbohydrates; 5.1g fiber; 3.1g sugar; 5.4g protein; 4.3 points.
BRYANNA'S LOW-FAT OIL SUBSTITUTES FOR SALAD DRESSINGS
makes 1 c.
Use this simple mixture in place of all or some of the oil in salad dressing.
1 c. cold water or light vegetable broth (broth adds the most flavor to a dressing)
2 tsp. cornstarch or potato starch
Mix together in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and clear. Cornstarch will have to boil; potato starch does not.
Trigo; photo by Linda Long
BRYANNA’S TRIGO (WHEAT, LIMA-STYLE) serves 6
(Adapted from a recipe my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook")
This unusual Peruvian dish, made with whole wheat kernels, or wheat berries, was given to me by my cousin Rosario Urbina Musso (Charo). She just gave me an idea of the ingredients, and I consulted an old, badly translated Peruvian cookbook of my mother’s for more help. This is what I came up with, and I like it very much!
Charo says that the wheat kernels we get here are not the same as the “trigo” they get in Peru . Trigo is a bit smaller than our wheat, and you may be able to find it in a latin American grocery store, but I made it with cooked soft wheat berries, and it tasted fine to me!
1 T extra-virgin olive oil (you can add a few drops of roasted sesame oil too, if you like)
1/2 c. chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. dry red chili flakes (or more to taste)
1 and 1/4 c. trigo or wheat berries (soft, if possible), soaked in 4 c. water overnight, and then cooked in the soaking water until tender (50 to 60 minutes) (save cooking water)
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, cooked and cubed
1/2 c. grated vegan “mozzarella”-type cheese (Tofutti, Vegan Gourmet, or Sheese)
1/4 c. chopped parsley
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and tomatoes, along with the chile flakes. Saute for several minutes. (This is what Peruvians call the “sofrito”.) Add the cooked wheat and potatoes and stir-cook for several minutes. Add some of the wheat cooking water if it’s too dry. Stir in the “cheese” and parsley, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
If you like savory foods for breakfast, the leftovers are delicious in the morning!
Servings: 6
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 235.3 calories; 16% calories from fat; 4.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 37.0mg sodium; 598.6mg potassium; 43.3g carbohydrates; 7.6g fiber; 3.0g sugar; 35.7g net carbs; 8.9g protein; 4.3 points.
PASTRY:
2 1/2 cups unbleached white pastry flour
2 1/2 cups wholewheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup frozen Earth Balance "Buttery Spread"
1 cup very cold Earth Balance Stick version or Spectrum non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1 Tbs EnerG egg replacer mixed with 2 T. water
7 Tbs cold water PLUS 1 T. brandy or rum (or just use 1/2 c. cold water)
1/4 tsp salt
FILLING:
396 ml (22 oz.) jar brown rice syrup
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
1/4 cup soy protein powder
FINISH:
2 cups powdered organic vegan sugar (Hains, Wholesome Foods or Florida Crystals)
To make the filling: Microwave the jar of brown rice syrup (lid off) for 1-2 minutes, or place in a bowl of hot water, until very warm and liquid-ey. Scrape into a bowl. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then the soy protein powder until smoothly mixed. Cool (covered) until thickened.
To make the pastry: Sift the flours and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Cut in the Earth Balance spread and Earth Balance sticks or shortening, cut into pieces. Mix in until crumbly. Mix together the egg replacer, water, brandy (if using), and salt, and stir into flour mix. Make a fairly soft dough, adding more water BY THE DROP if necessary. It should be like a soft pie dough.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Roll out like pie dough on a floured board and cut with a 2" round cookie cutter. Place the rounds (should be 120) on baking sheets and prick them all over with a fork. Bake about 6 minutes, or til pale golden. Cool on racks completely.
Spread the flat side of 60 of the rounds with the syrup. Cover with the remaining rounds (flat side down). Dredge the little "sandwiches" in powdered sugar, covering completely.
Place on racks over trays until serving time.
Servings: 60
Yield: makes 60
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per each pastry): 175.6 calories; 31% calories from fat; 6.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 102.7mg sodium; 41.8mg potassium; 31.0g carbohydrates; 0.8g fiber; 18.7g sugar; 30.2g net carbs; 2.6g protein; 3.9 points.
Mazamorra Morada and Alfajore (recipe below); Photo by Linda Long