Not-So-Fat Tuesday

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 2001 by Richard Pierce

A delicious down-home meal, Cajun-style

In my grandmother's kitchen in Slidell, La., you could always find a simmering pot of greens on the stove--collards, mustard or turnip--and corn bread cooking in a cast-iron skillet. This dark-crusted wonder was used to sop up the liquid from the greens. Cajun food was woven into my everyday life. My Aunt Myrtle took rightful pride in her Crawfish Etouffe, and our neighbor Mrs. Packard made stuffed crabs that were the highlight of Wednesday night church suppers. Good Cajun food even crept into school lunches, where the New Orleans tradition of serving red beans and rice on Monday was faithfully observed. And everywhere there was rice: rice and gravy, rice and beans, rice with gumbo, rice in jambalaya.

For several years now, I haven't eaten ham, sausage, oysters, crabs, shrimp and many of the other ingredients strongly identified with Cajun cooking, But for me, it's not just the ingredients that define the cuisine--it's the flavor, spirit and essence of this cooking, all of which are inextricably tied to my memories.

One of the reasons the food of New Orleans tastes so good is the seasoning. But there's a misconception that all Cajun food is hot. "Heat" is just one of the elements used in seasoning the food, but not the most important one. In fact, if the heat isn't balanced with the other flavors, it dominates the dish and makes it less interesting.

When I prepare Cajun food, I combine many spices into a seasoning mix. This blend includes ground peppers--white, black and cayenne--and ground cumin, chili powder, dried thyme and dried sage. When all of these spices are balanced and assimilated into a dish, they create a flavor that is rich, full, satisfying and unique. During the years, my culinary vocabulary has changed, but as you'll see from the following recipes, I'm still speaking Cajun.

Salad with Creole Dressing

30 min. SERVES 4 EGG- & DAIRY-FREE

The dressing for this salad can be made up to one week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and stir well before using.

Creole Dressing

1/2 cup soy mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. stone ground mustard
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs. finely chopped chives or
  parsley
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
12 slices cucumber
4 leaves red- or green-leaf lettuce

1. Make dressing: In food processor or blender, combine all dressing ingredients and 2 tablespoons water. Process until smooth and blended.

2. For each serving, arrange 2 tomato wedges and 3 slices cucumber on lettuce leaf. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad just before serving.

PER SERVING WITH 1 TABLEPSOON DRESSING: 66 CAL,; 1G PROT.; 5G TOTAL FAT (0 SAT. FAT); 5G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 52MG SOD.; 1G FIBER

Jambalaya

SERVES 4 EGG- & DAIRY-FREE

Seitan has the ideal texture and flavor for this dish. The recipe also includes onion, garlic, celery and green bell pepper, a combination frequently used in Cajun cooking. The recipe can easily be doubled to accommodate more diners.

Seasoning mix

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
1 cup canned, whole peeled
  tomatoes
12-oz. seitan, drained (see glossary, p. 83)
2 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 Tbs. olive 0il
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
  (1/2 cup)
1 medium stalk celery, chopped
  (1/2 cup)
4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 [degrees] F In small bowl, combine seasoning mix ingredients; set aside. Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid, and coarsely chop. Set aside. Place seitan in food processor and pulse on/off 12 times or until seitan is shredded. Set aside.

2. In 4-qt. Dutch oven or flame-proof casserole dish with lid, combine reserved tomato liquid and broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper, celery and seasoning mix and stir well. Add tomatoes, then seitan and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes.

3. Add vegetable-seitan mixture to rice. Stir just to combine ingredients. Bake, covered, until water is completely absorbed, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and keep jambalaya covered for 5 minutes; stir and then serve.

NOTE: For an easy and elegant presentation, mold jambalya mixture in a lightly greased 8-oz. cup and turn onto dinner plate; garnish with sprigs of parsley.

PER SERVING: 379 CAL.; 26G PROT.; 3G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 50G CAR8.; 0 CHOL.; 1,028MG SOD.; 4G FIBER

Candied Yams

SERVES 4 TO 6 EGG-& DAIRY-FREE

The natural sweetness of the potatoes is enhanced by maple syrup and aromatic spices and balanced by the heat in a scant pinch of cayenne.