French Onion Bread + Portobello Stacker

French Onion Bread

Recipe taken from here

Lately I have been on this homemade bread kick, I mean there is just something so amazing about adding yeast, seeing your bread rise, putting it in the oven and getting the final product into your mouth. I used to really detest the smell of yeast, but as I began making more and more products with yeast I began to seriously love the smell. My favourite part of making bread is adding the yeast because it's such a beautiful, amazing ingredient. I mean, it takes your product from flat and boring to a beautiful puffy large soft product.

This dough was one of the best I have ever worked with. I didn't do any kneading by hand, I did it all using my KitchenAid, and when I took it off the hook it was so soft. Seriously, I've never gotten a bread that was this soft before I was almost afraid it wasn't the right consistency. As I let it sit it rose so beautifully. I punched it down, shaped it into a loaf and let it sit again (as directed). After this step you should of seen the result! I re-shaped it before putting it in the oven so that I would have a smaller baguette, but it just didn't want to be a teeny-tiny cute baguette. No no, this turned out to be a beautiful brown soft sponge-like loaf. It grew even more while it was in the oven and was just incredible.

When I made it Jordan wasn't "hungry". However, when he came into the kitchen and smelt the aroma he immediately cut himself a piece. "Wow Sam, this is seriously some good bread". Even though he wasn't "hungry", he quickly gobbled his piece up and cut himself another. I myself had three little pieces. This is such a great great bread. I would assume that this bread would be just as fantastic without the added soup base, but the onion makes such a huge flavour kick. I mean, I'm really contemplating making another loaf, freezing it, then having people over and making a big pot of French Onion Soup and using this loaf in the soup instead of regular crispy bread (because this one has crispy edges too!).

If you are a fan of onion and gorgeous flavoured bread this is absolutely for you! Fantastic recipe, I am so glad I saved it because this will certainly be made over and over again.

Ingredients:

• 5 to 5 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 envelope onion soup mix (I used Lipton’s Beefy Onion)
• 2 1/4 tsp x2 active dry yeast
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp butter

Directions:

Combine 2 cups flour, soup mix, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water and the shortening. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to form a very soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let rise for 1 hour.

Place dough back on the floured surface and knead an additional 4-5 times. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×6 inch rectangle. Beginning with one of the longer sides, roll up the dough. Tuck in each end and pinch all edges to seal. Place each log of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Cover the cookie sheets with greased plastic wrap and let rise for 30-40 minutes.

Make four diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf, abut 1/2 inch deep.

Bake loaves at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until outside is nicely browned and hard to the touch.

Yields 2 baguettes

Portobello Stacker

Recipe taken/adapted from here

As I had mentioned yesterday part of my New Years Resolutions this year is to start eating healthier again, and start eating actual meals instead of just snacking and binging on junk food. Well, part of my plan is to actually implement my baking/cooking passion and not just using it for junk food, but to make it healthier. So, last night I decided to look through some vegan blogs.

I haven't really spoken about this much, but I stopped eating red meat in grade eight, so it's been almost eight years now since I've consumed red meat. As for turkey and chicken, I stopped eating those ironically on Thanksgiving one year ago.

My mom asked me yesterday what the big deal was between eating fish and then consuming other products. I really don't enjoy eating animals, however, once I put the face to the meat I was unable to eat it anymore, which was what allowed to me cut out the meat "cold turkey". Fish, honestly, I refuse to look at pictures of what they look like. A shrimp, yes I know more or less what it looks like, but I've never seen it with eyes, or moving or anything... I'm not sure if that makes sense to anyone, but... yeah. I do plan on looking more into a complete vegetarian diet instead of just pescatarian. Eventually I would like to become vegan.

The past few years my diet has been more or less raw. The only dairy even to this day that I really consume is yoghurt and once in a blue moon cottage cheese. I haven't drank cows milk in years. I barely ever eat eggs (excluding my baked goods), the only time I ever really eat it is with my sushi. There is something about eggs that just creeps me out.

So with that being said, yesterday at the grocery store I decided to for the first time in eight years have a go at "red meat". I've never consumed a veggie burger, veggie dog, facon, etc... I have however eaten veggie chicken (ugh, the ones I've had were absolutely awful and gritty), however, President's Choice has these tofu-nuggets, they are seriously AMAZING! They are better than any chicken nuggets I've ever consumed. I've fed them to my meat-eating friends not telling them it was tofu and they were DEVOURED!

I decided to buy Tempeh because I found a sandwich that I was dying to try out. Have to keep my resolution on making meals, and a big honking sandwich is definitely a great lunch-time meal.

Today I set off to make that incredible masterpiece. I followed this recipe step-by-step. The only things I changed is that I used my beautiful French Onion Bread from above, added Heluva dip as the sauce instead of mayo because mayo whether it be vegan or non-vegan makes me want to hurl, and I added onion sprouts. This sandwich was huge. If anyone wanted to make this a double stacker they are just nuts (or maybe if my bread were larger in width it wouldn't of been as thick). I definitely needed the help of those large tooth picks because it definitely would of fallen apart.

This was definitely one of the best meals I have had in a long time. The bread made the biggest difference in the world. I'm seriously in absolute love with that bread, best thing ever. The beautiful veggies with the delicious onion sauce and the grilled portobello mushrooms with the "facon" it was delicious.

What did I think of the Fac-on? It was... different. But, it added a great chewiness to the bread which I really liked. Would I eat this alongside eggs or pancakes as I would regular bacon? Probably not. However, having it the way I did in a sandwich that is definitely do-able. Will I buy another pack of the Tempeh once I've finished it? I'm not quite sure but I am definitely enjoying it at the moment.

This is an excellent sandwich for the vegan and non-vegan alike. If you wanted to sub-in for real bacon it would definitely be an excellent sandwich as well. The portobello mushrooms were such a great touch to the bread. I will certainly make this sandwich again!

Ingredients:

• 1 large organic portobello mushroom caps
• 1 tbsp EVOO
  
• 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 2 slices French Onion Bread
  
• Slab of Heluva dip
  
• 5 pieces of faux vegan bacon (or tempeah bacon)
• Handful of raw baby spinach
• 1 tomato
• Handful of onion sprouts

Directions:

Mix 1 tbsp EVOO, 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, dash of salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Next clean and prepare the mushrooms. Poke the mushroom tops with a fork, just a few times each. Place mushrooms in large glass bowl or baking dish. Pour marinade over the mushrooms, cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour

After a 1/2 hour, pull out the mushrooms and heat up your grill (or skillet)

Place the mushrooms on the grill, cover with remaining marinade and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Slide the mushrooms onto a cutting board, and set aside.

Next fry up your faux bacon (if you must, you can even microwave your faux bacon on a piece of parchment paper for about 2 minutes, watch carefully, they burn fast).

Thinly slice your tomatoes. Slightly toast your French Onion Bread. Then create your beautiful artwork. Slather on your sauce (in my case Heluva Dip). Next the sliced tomatoes. Then the faux bacon. Slide on a plump mushroom cap (I cut mine into slices). Finally tuck it in and cover it up with a layer of baby spinach and sprouts. Add another slice of toast.

Once you top it off with your last slice of toast, poke in a couple of long toothpicks to hold it all together. Slice diagonally.

Hope you enjoy :)