Throwback Thursday- Poutine

Throwback Thursday! While I will most likely use Throwback Thursday to cook some veganized version of food from my youth (mainly French, Hungarian, and American food,) today I decided to dedicate my throwback to my time in Toronto. I miss Canada so very much, not just the food which was fabulous, but the people, the country, the places, and the lifestyle. So here I dedicate my third food entry, my first Throback Thursday post to Canada <3

So today I spent a majority of my morning listening to some fabulous Canadian music (Gob, Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats, Buck 65 to name a few) and it got me to thinking... since being back in New Jersey I have really missed good ol' poutine. Sure we've got disco fries, but once you have had poutine, there's no looking back.. Traditionally, poutine is a French Canadian dish and consists of crispy french fries covered in gravy and cheese curd. Quoting the poutine wikipedia, “The French fries are of medium thickness, and fried so that the inside stays soft, while the outside is crunchy. The gravy is a light chicken, veal or turkey gravy, mildly spiced with a hint of pepper. Heavy beef or pork-based brown gravies are not typically used. Fresh cheese curd (not more than a day old) are used. To maintain the texture of the fries, the cheese curd and gravy must be added immediately prior to serving the dish.” So I decided to embark upon creating vegan poutin! I will be making oven fries with a mushroom veggie gravy and almond-cashew curds. Man oh man is this delicious!

Veggie Gravy

5-6 baby bella mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup Earth Balance

2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ meduim yellow onion, chopped

2 tsp Braggs Liquid Amino Soy

2 cups veggie stock

1 bayleaf

1 tsp herbs de provence

½ tsp garlic salt

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp rosemarry

1 tblsp flour

Over medium-low heat in a quart sauce pot, melt Earth Balance. Saute garlic and onions until onions turn clear. Sprinkle in seasonings and bay leaf. Add Braggs and veggie stock and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Strain stock from veggies and pour in a blender, then add half of the veggies. Save the rest in the sauce pot for later. Cover blender and turn on high, and through the vent in the lid add the flour. Continue to blend on high for about 2 minutes, or until the gravy is smooth. Return gravy to sauce pot and bring to a boil then simmer, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't burn. After about 5 minutes the sauce should be nice and thick. Cover, and turn off heat.

Almond-Cashew Curd

1 tsp orange zest

1 handful raw almonds

1 handful raw cashews

7 oz extra firm tofu

Combine all ingredients in blender. Pulse until crumbled together.

Oven Fries

2 medium potatoes sliced into ½ inch thick strips about ½ inch wide

2 tsp safflower oil

Place oven rack on the 2nd from the top setting and set oven to broil. Put oil and potatoes in an airtight container and seal. Shake the container to make sure the potatoes are evenly coated with oil, then lay out on a baking sheet and broil until golden brown, then flip over and broil until the other side is golden brown.

Once potatoes are cooked, place in a bowl, then add curds and gravy and enjoy! Sooo delicious!