Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday is Asian-fun day.
The spring rolls from Saturday night were so good I decided to try some again, but this time stuffed with fresh tofu and veggies from the Asian market and coupled with roasted bok choy and brussel sprouts. First I halved the brussels and the bok choy, tossed them in evoo and salt and pepper and roasted them for about 30 minutes (little more for the brussels, little less for the bok choy) and when finished tossed them in lemon juice and garlic and a little more oil. The stuffing for the spring rolls was fresh tofu in tiny cubes and julienned carrots and cucumber and green onion, all stir fried in Hoison sauce. I added fresh grated green papaya and bean sprouts and spinach leaves to the rolls. We dipped them in a thick, slightly spicy peanut sauce (and also I had a nice sweet and sour sauce on hand to alternate with).
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday Night's Dinner
Last night we had a Mexican fiesta, complete with a frozen margarita. I layered spicy refried beans with a taco-seasoned boca crumble bake with onions and peppers, and topped it with my favorite nacho cheeze sauce. I baked that in a round, glass Pyrex for about 20 minutes and then topped it with shredded iceberg and served it with a simple, fresh guacamole and some chipotle cream. We ate it in big scoopfuls on chili lime chips from Garden of Eaten.
Thank god all of the cupcakes are finally gone.
Thank god all of the cupcakes are finally gone.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday Night's Dinner
We started with chewy, fresh spring rolls stuffed with lettuce, avocado, and spicy tempeh (a Vegan Dad-ish take off), dipped in the classic sweet hot chili sauce. I also made a baked version of corn fritters that turned out pretty great. While I was cooking them I roasted peppers and onions for our main dish.
For the main course I attemped a traditional Vietnamese dish that is somewhat of an omlette, but the batter is rice flour and coconut milk. Unfortunately I think my attempts to make one giant and deep omlette went awry and the best thing about the finished product was the spicy mayo I made to go on top. I think I'll stick to spring rolls when I'm craving Vietnamese.
For the main course I attemped a traditional Vietnamese dish that is somewhat of an omlette, but the batter is rice flour and coconut milk. Unfortunately I think my attempts to make one giant and deep omlette went awry and the best thing about the finished product was the spicy mayo I made to go on top. I think I'll stick to spring rolls when I'm craving Vietnamese.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A little empanada, is better than nada...
Empanadas are all the fun of a hot pocket (look, it's a meal, in a pocket, and I'm holding it in my hand!) without the trans fat and other sketchy crap they stuff in those things.
Okay, you'll need to find vegan empanada wrappers (or make your own dough, there is a great recipe here), which I happen to have found at my local crazy store (which is what I call this low-budget grocery owned by a Haitian couple who apparently have a thing for random international foods).
So, thaw the wrappers while you're making your filling.
The beauty of the filling is that you can use whatever the heck you want, though I personally find this super easy and really tasty:
You'll need:
1 medium or large onion
1 green or red pepper
1 package of soy crumbles (like Boca) or 8oz. homemade seitan crumbled and pre-cooked in a skillet for about 20 minutes
1 T olive oil
1 T taco or fajita seasoning
cayenne pepper to taste (1/8 t or so)
Soy cheese (I use Teese and I love it so), grated
Dice your onion and put the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until translucent (5 to 7 minutes), add the pepper and saute another 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and cayenne and saute until fragrant (about a minute), add soy crumbles and cook until heated through (about 5 minutes).
When the mixture is done create a work station to stuff and seal your empanadas. You will fill each wrapper in the center with 1-2 T of the mixture and a little grated cheese (less than a T). Then fold the wrapper in half, and press the edges together with a fork. Slice a little v-shape in the top center of the empanada so the insides can steam and breathe while they cook (and so your empanadas don't explode!)
All of your finished empanadas will need to go on a greased baking sheet. Bake the empanadas at 350 for about 20 minutes, check on them half way and rotate your baking sheet. When the dough is golden and the insides start to bubble, they are done!
Now, the other thing they have in common with a hot pocket is that the insides are molten-lava-lose-your-tongues-top-layer hot when they come out of the oven. So let them stand at least 10 minutes. Seriously. Do not bite into one right out of the oven. I know it's hard, but your mouth will thank you.
In that ten minutes you can make a yummy dipping sauce like guacamole or the following, which is super tasty, chipotle cream!
Chipotle Cream
You'll need:
2 chipotles in adobo
2 t of the sauce from the can (or more if you want the sauce spicy)
1/3 box of firm silken tofu (6-9 ounces)
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 t salt
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Combine all ingredients together in a food processor until very creamy and uniform. Add more adobo sauce from the chipotles in adobo can if you want the dip spicier.
Okay, you'll need to find vegan empanada wrappers (or make your own dough, there is a great recipe here), which I happen to have found at my local crazy store (which is what I call this low-budget grocery owned by a Haitian couple who apparently have a thing for random international foods).
So, thaw the wrappers while you're making your filling.
The beauty of the filling is that you can use whatever the heck you want, though I personally find this super easy and really tasty:
You'll need:
1 medium or large onion
1 green or red pepper
1 package of soy crumbles (like Boca) or 8oz. homemade seitan crumbled and pre-cooked in a skillet for about 20 minutes
1 T olive oil
1 T taco or fajita seasoning
cayenne pepper to taste (1/8 t or so)
Soy cheese (I use Teese and I love it so), grated
Dice your onion and put the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until translucent (5 to 7 minutes), add the pepper and saute another 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and cayenne and saute until fragrant (about a minute), add soy crumbles and cook until heated through (about 5 minutes).
When the mixture is done create a work station to stuff and seal your empanadas. You will fill each wrapper in the center with 1-2 T of the mixture and a little grated cheese (less than a T). Then fold the wrapper in half, and press the edges together with a fork. Slice a little v-shape in the top center of the empanada so the insides can steam and breathe while they cook (and so your empanadas don't explode!)
All of your finished empanadas will need to go on a greased baking sheet. Bake the empanadas at 350 for about 20 minutes, check on them half way and rotate your baking sheet. When the dough is golden and the insides start to bubble, they are done!
Now, the other thing they have in common with a hot pocket is that the insides are molten-lava-lose-your-tongues-top-layer hot when they come out of the oven. So let them stand at least 10 minutes. Seriously. Do not bite into one right out of the oven. I know it's hard, but your mouth will thank you.
In that ten minutes you can make a yummy dipping sauce like guacamole or the following, which is super tasty, chipotle cream!
Chipotle Cream
You'll need:
2 chipotles in adobo
2 t of the sauce from the can (or more if you want the sauce spicy)
1/3 box of firm silken tofu (6-9 ounces)
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 t salt
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Combine all ingredients together in a food processor until very creamy and uniform. Add more adobo sauce from the chipotles in adobo can if you want the dip spicier.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Creamy Pizza Goodness
Alright, take the herbed dough recipe below and then top it with some basil cream (recipe to follow) and your favorite roasted veggies (method to follow) and you will probably find yourself scarfing an entire pizza in one night, but you can just blame me.
Okay, so you've made your dough, you've baked it at 425 for about 7 or 8 minutes already (on your pizza stone if you have one) and now you're ready to top it and finish it. Smear it with basil cream if you like a different take on pizza or your tired of marinara or if the thought of something called basil cream makes you squeal with delight (I fall into all three categories).
Basil Cream
You'll need:
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t ground pepper
1 T dijon mustard
1 t onion powder
3 or 4 cloves of garlic (or more if you're me), minced
A huge bunch o' basil (anywhere from 3 to 6 loose cups, chopped)
soy or rice milk to achieve desired consistency, you may not need any
Powder your cashews in a coffee grinder or a really good blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients save for the basil and oil. Blend until creamy and super smooth. Add basil and blend until combined. Drizzle in oil slowly until mixture is uniform and add your soy milk 1 t at a time if you want a thinner sauce (this is recommended for using this as a pasta sauce or a dipping sauce of sorts, but for the pizza topping, thicker is better!)
Smear this mixture of wonderful all over the top of your pizza and then lick your spatula.
In the meantime you should have been roasting vegetables. Whoops, I hope you read the whole recipe first.
In this photo I have chosen red peppers and eggplant because they are super good and go well together and with the basil cream. But seriously, any vegetable will do. Slice whatever your choice is pretty thin, toss lightly in olive oil and less than a teaspoon each of salt and pepper (more salt if roasting eggplant). Put in a baking sheet and roast until brown and ooey and delicious (this varies greatly depending on the vegetable, but I would say 30 to 45 minutes would take care of most things). Watch to not burn the vegetables too badly, this may start to happen after the half hour mark if you roast at 425, which I recommend.
Add your roasted vegetables on top of the basil cream and bake (still at 425 - this recipe is nice because the veggies roast and the pizza bakes all at the same high temperature) for an additional 10-15 minutes (until crust crunchiness is at your desired level, I like mine super crunchy, which means I bake my crust alone for about 10 minutes and then topped for about 15 more).
Slice in half and pretend you'll save the second half for later. Enjoy!
Okay, so you've made your dough, you've baked it at 425 for about 7 or 8 minutes already (on your pizza stone if you have one) and now you're ready to top it and finish it. Smear it with basil cream if you like a different take on pizza or your tired of marinara or if the thought of something called basil cream makes you squeal with delight (I fall into all three categories).
Basil Cream
You'll need:
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 t ground pepper
1 T dijon mustard
1 t onion powder
3 or 4 cloves of garlic (or more if you're me), minced
A huge bunch o' basil (anywhere from 3 to 6 loose cups, chopped)
soy or rice milk to achieve desired consistency, you may not need any
Powder your cashews in a coffee grinder or a really good blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients save for the basil and oil. Blend until creamy and super smooth. Add basil and blend until combined. Drizzle in oil slowly until mixture is uniform and add your soy milk 1 t at a time if you want a thinner sauce (this is recommended for using this as a pasta sauce or a dipping sauce of sorts, but for the pizza topping, thicker is better!)
Smear this mixture of wonderful all over the top of your pizza and then lick your spatula.
In the meantime you should have been roasting vegetables. Whoops, I hope you read the whole recipe first.
In this photo I have chosen red peppers and eggplant because they are super good and go well together and with the basil cream. But seriously, any vegetable will do. Slice whatever your choice is pretty thin, toss lightly in olive oil and less than a teaspoon each of salt and pepper (more salt if roasting eggplant). Put in a baking sheet and roast until brown and ooey and delicious (this varies greatly depending on the vegetable, but I would say 30 to 45 minutes would take care of most things). Watch to not burn the vegetables too badly, this may start to happen after the half hour mark if you roast at 425, which I recommend.
Add your roasted vegetables on top of the basil cream and bake (still at 425 - this recipe is nice because the veggies roast and the pizza bakes all at the same high temperature) for an additional 10-15 minutes (until crust crunchiness is at your desired level, I like mine super crunchy, which means I bake my crust alone for about 10 minutes and then topped for about 15 more).
Slice in half and pretend you'll save the second half for later. Enjoy!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Pizza, pizza!
Funny enough, I never really loved pizza when I wasn't vegan. But now that I am, I perceive that I miss it. So, I've been on a quest to find a great vegan pizza crust recipe and good replacement for shredded cheese. I am happy to report that this week I found immense success!
Yummy (and quick and easy) Pizza Crust:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour (I mix half unbleached all-purpose and half whole wheat)
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon quick-rise yeast (which is about one of those little 90 cent packets you buy at the grocery)
1 teaspoon salt
2 T of oil (I use organic canola)
1-3 T of your favorite dried herbs (I use rosemary, basil, and a little crushed red pepper flake)
Directions:
Preheat oven 425 degrees.
Mix the yeast with the lukewarm water in a medium sized bowl (all ingredients will eventually go into this single bowl - easy clean up!) until the yeast is dissolved. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes.
Add the salt and oil to the yeast and whisk until mixed.
Add the flour, and mix. Knead the dough a few times to thoroughly mix all ingredients. Form it in a nice little ball and set it on a floured surface.
Roll it out on said lightly floured flat surface with a floured rolling pin (really quite thin if you want the pizza to cook quick). Put it in the oven for 8 minutes.
Take it out, flip it over (I use a spatula so it doesn't rip) and spray a little olive oil on it.
Add toppings, and cook for 15 more minutes (may range from 10 to 20 depending on toppings, keep an eye so your cheese doesn't burn).
If you roll the crust out thin enough the pizza is big enough for two people.
Pizza Topping Idea 1: Italian faux-meaty goodness
1 c of seitan (I use homemade and crumble it, you can use Boca crumbles or some ground beef sub)
1 c rice shreds (amazing melted on pizza!)
2/3 c marinara of your choice (I used some organic spicy basil deal)
1 c sliced/diced veggies of your choice (I use sweet onion, mushroom, and green pepper)
If using homemade seitan start cooking that in a large nonstick skillet over medium high with a little oil coating it first for about 20 minutes (takes a long time to get seitan really cooked through and crunchy). If using store bough seitan you can put crumbles in pan in tandem with veggies in the next step.
Add sliced veggies and sauté over medium to med-low heat until desired softness occurs. Add marinara (and I added some dried oregano and 1 clove or pressed garlic at this point for fun) and heat through, stirring often.
Smear pan of goodness all over pizza crust. Cover with rice shreds. And cook at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes before cutting or eating. It’s hard to resist, but worth the safety of the roof of your mouth!
Pizza Topping Idea 2: Yummy cheesey spread stuff and roasted veggies
1. Slice and roast (at 400 degrees) your favorite veggies lightly sprayed with olive oil (I usually do some combination of peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, and onion - lots of onion!) They will need to roast for probably 20-30 minutes depending on how mushy and soft you like 'em.
2. While your veggies are roasting, blend together 1/2 box Mori Nu Firm Silken Tufu, handful or two of fresh spinach, 5-10 sun dried tomatoes (chopped), 1/2 c favorite nut (I use raw cashews), 12-20 fresh basil leaves (depends on how much you love basil), 1-2 T of oil (if sundried tomatoes were packed in oil, lower the amount), 1/4 c of Nutritional Yeast, 2-4 cloves of garlic).
3. let veggies cool slightly and then chop them up and mix them up.
4. Spread your cheesey-mix from the blender over the par-cooked pizza crust, top with roasted veggie mix up, and dollop any left over cheesey-mix throughout.
5. Bake for another 15 minutes.
Let it cool a bit! The piles of cheesey-goodness will burn off the first three layers of the roof of your precious mouth if you are not very careful. Of course, perhaps you long for that throw-back to your middle of the night pizza parlor burn incidents...in which case, dig right in!
Yummy (and quick and easy) Pizza Crust:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour (I mix half unbleached all-purpose and half whole wheat)
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon quick-rise yeast (which is about one of those little 90 cent packets you buy at the grocery)
1 teaspoon salt
2 T of oil (I use organic canola)
1-3 T of your favorite dried herbs (I use rosemary, basil, and a little crushed red pepper flake)
Directions:
Preheat oven 425 degrees.
Mix the yeast with the lukewarm water in a medium sized bowl (all ingredients will eventually go into this single bowl - easy clean up!) until the yeast is dissolved. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes.
Add the salt and oil to the yeast and whisk until mixed.
Add the flour, and mix. Knead the dough a few times to thoroughly mix all ingredients. Form it in a nice little ball and set it on a floured surface.
Roll it out on said lightly floured flat surface with a floured rolling pin (really quite thin if you want the pizza to cook quick). Put it in the oven for 8 minutes.
Take it out, flip it over (I use a spatula so it doesn't rip) and spray a little olive oil on it.
Add toppings, and cook for 15 more minutes (may range from 10 to 20 depending on toppings, keep an eye so your cheese doesn't burn).
If you roll the crust out thin enough the pizza is big enough for two people.
Pizza Topping Idea 1: Italian faux-meaty goodness
1 c of seitan (I use homemade and crumble it, you can use Boca crumbles or some ground beef sub)
1 c rice shreds (amazing melted on pizza!)
2/3 c marinara of your choice (I used some organic spicy basil deal)
1 c sliced/diced veggies of your choice (I use sweet onion, mushroom, and green pepper)
If using homemade seitan start cooking that in a large nonstick skillet over medium high with a little oil coating it first for about 20 minutes (takes a long time to get seitan really cooked through and crunchy). If using store bough seitan you can put crumbles in pan in tandem with veggies in the next step.
Add sliced veggies and sauté over medium to med-low heat until desired softness occurs. Add marinara (and I added some dried oregano and 1 clove or pressed garlic at this point for fun) and heat through, stirring often.
Smear pan of goodness all over pizza crust. Cover with rice shreds. And cook at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes before cutting or eating. It’s hard to resist, but worth the safety of the roof of your mouth!
Pizza Topping Idea 2: Yummy cheesey spread stuff and roasted veggies
1. Slice and roast (at 400 degrees) your favorite veggies lightly sprayed with olive oil (I usually do some combination of peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, and onion - lots of onion!) They will need to roast for probably 20-30 minutes depending on how mushy and soft you like 'em.
2. While your veggies are roasting, blend together 1/2 box Mori Nu Firm Silken Tufu, handful or two of fresh spinach, 5-10 sun dried tomatoes (chopped), 1/2 c favorite nut (I use raw cashews), 12-20 fresh basil leaves (depends on how much you love basil), 1-2 T of oil (if sundried tomatoes were packed in oil, lower the amount), 1/4 c of Nutritional Yeast, 2-4 cloves of garlic).
3. let veggies cool slightly and then chop them up and mix them up.
4. Spread your cheesey-mix from the blender over the par-cooked pizza crust, top with roasted veggie mix up, and dollop any left over cheesey-mix throughout.
5. Bake for another 15 minutes.
Let it cool a bit! The piles of cheesey-goodness will burn off the first three layers of the roof of your precious mouth if you are not very careful. Of course, perhaps you long for that throw-back to your middle of the night pizza parlor burn incidents...in which case, dig right in!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Ribz!
With a "z". Mmmm.
Bake 'em up. Slather 'em up. Grill 'em up!
Setian Ribbies (altered recipe from the wonderful Fat Free Vegan blog)
Ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (though regular works ok)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes. Make sure the water is cool! Warm water will activate the gluten and make it impossible to work with.
Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Now you can cut the pieces apart completely and either grill them or broil them with bbq slathered on each side. You should be able to either grill them for about 10-minutes per side (medium hot grill) or broil them on low for 5-ish minutes per side. But watch sugar-y sauces the broiler, they are not friends.
Bake 'em up. Slather 'em up. Grill 'em up!
Setian Ribbies (altered recipe from the wonderful Fat Free Vegan blog)
Ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (though regular works ok)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tahini or other nut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 and spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes. Make sure the water is cool! Warm water will activate the gluten and make it impossible to work with.
Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Now you can cut the pieces apart completely and either grill them or broil them with bbq slathered on each side. You should be able to either grill them for about 10-minutes per side (medium hot grill) or broil them on low for 5-ish minutes per side. But watch sugar-y sauces the broiler, they are not friends.
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