I'm not sure what possessed me to make these. The idea just sounded tasty. They're not quite as decadent and crackly as my usual brownies, but they're still moist and delicious.
1 cup all purpose, whole wheat pastry or spelt flour
1 cup Ghiradelli hot cocoa mix
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup vanilla soy milk
2-3 handfuls dark chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish.
Whisk together the flour, hot cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, canola oil and soy milk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir just until mixed (don't overbeat, especially if you're using a whole flour). Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the oiled dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Mexican Shepherd's Pie
Easy and delish.
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
dash of salt (to taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 smallish heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin (optional)
1 handful fresh cilantro, snipped into bits (optional)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp 'instant' polenta
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
Preheat the oven to 'broil.'
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until they're starting to get translucent. Add the spices, salt, beans, corn and half the tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate medium-sized pan. Mix together the chili powder, polenta and salt. When the water's boiling, dump in the polenta mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until the polenta is thick and a little difficult to stir.
Stir the rest of the tomatoes, the pumpkin and the cilantro into the bean mixture. Scoop out the polenta mixture and spread it on top of the bean mixture. Spray the top of the polenta with olive oil, then bake for 5-10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Ingredient notes: I've purchased the boxed polenta both from the IngerDahl's and River Bend Trading Company. It's way cheaper to cook your own polenta, but you can also get a tube of pre-cooked polenta and lay the slices on top of the beans. The tubes are available at IngerDahl's, New City Market, Gateway Market and Campbell's.
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
dash of salt (to taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 smallish heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin (optional)
1 handful fresh cilantro, snipped into bits (optional)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp 'instant' polenta
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
Preheat the oven to 'broil.'
Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until they're starting to get translucent. Add the spices, salt, beans, corn and half the tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate medium-sized pan. Mix together the chili powder, polenta and salt. When the water's boiling, dump in the polenta mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until the polenta is thick and a little difficult to stir.
Stir the rest of the tomatoes, the pumpkin and the cilantro into the bean mixture. Scoop out the polenta mixture and spread it on top of the bean mixture. Spray the top of the polenta with olive oil, then bake for 5-10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Ingredient notes: I've purchased the boxed polenta both from the IngerDahl's and River Bend Trading Company. It's way cheaper to cook your own polenta, but you can also get a tube of pre-cooked polenta and lay the slices on top of the beans. The tubes are available at IngerDahl's, New City Market, Gateway Market and Campbell's.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Baked Winter Squash with Curried Apple Compote
This is based on a Vegetarian Times recipe.
2-3 smallish acorn, delicata or sweet dumpling squash
3-4 apples, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup applesauce or apple butter
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 largish handfuls currants or raisins
salt & pepper to taste
1 bottle ginger ale (I like Reed's)
You can make this recipe in one of two ways. The first is arguably tastier, but it takes more time. The second doesn't quite have the depth of flavor, but it's on the dinner table faster.
Both are delicious.
The first way: Cut the squash into rings. Make the filling. Heap the filling in the center of the rings, pour the ginger ale into the bottom of the pan and bake.
The second way: Split the squash in half. Bake the squash halves in the ginger ale while you're making the filling, the combine and serve immediately.
Prepare your squash.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the apples and onions for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the curry powder and raisins (and a little water, if necessary) and simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the apple sauce or apple butter.
Serve squash with the filling either heaped in the center of the rings, or mounded in the hollow of the halves.
2-3 smallish acorn, delicata or sweet dumpling squash
3-4 apples, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup applesauce or apple butter
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 largish handfuls currants or raisins
salt & pepper to taste
1 bottle ginger ale (I like Reed's)
You can make this recipe in one of two ways. The first is arguably tastier, but it takes more time. The second doesn't quite have the depth of flavor, but it's on the dinner table faster.
Both are delicious.
The first way: Cut the squash into rings. Make the filling. Heap the filling in the center of the rings, pour the ginger ale into the bottom of the pan and bake.
The second way: Split the squash in half. Bake the squash halves in the ginger ale while you're making the filling, the combine and serve immediately.
Prepare your squash.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the apples and onions for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the curry powder and raisins (and a little water, if necessary) and simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the apple sauce or apple butter.
Serve squash with the filling either heaped in the center of the rings, or mounded in the hollow of the halves.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wild Mushroom Strudel
This is supposed to be a fancy dish, and it certainly tastes like it. But when I pulled it out of the oven, God help me if it didn't look exactly like an enormous Hot Pocket. That aside, I think this would make an excellent holiday entree for vegans. It's savory and satisfying in a traditional main dish kind of way, and plus, it's stuffed. Omnivores will drool over the tantalizing aromas that waft up from your plate.
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms
1 fist-sized oyster mushroom
1 8 oz. package sliced crimini or button mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized leek, just the white and light green parts, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt/pepper to taste
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp all purpose/spelt flour
1 tsp veggie bouillon powder
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 can braised wheat gluten drained, rinsed and sliced into thin ribbons (optional)
1 package puff pastry
olive oil spray
Set out the puff pastry to thaw. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the leeks, mince the garlic, and chop the mushrooms and gluten into little bits. Combine the flour, nutritional yeast and bouillon powder.
Heat the olive oil in a largish skillet. Add the leeks, garlic, mushrooms and sage and saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have reduced and are releasing fragrant juices. Add the nutritional yeast mixture and gluten and cook for another minute or so. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Mix in the thyme and remove from heat.
Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface until you have two large rectangles. Spray two baking dishes with olive oil and drape a rectangle pastry over the bottom of each one. Spoon half the mushroom mixture in a line down the center of the pastry. Fold over the top and bottom ends of the pastry, then the right and left ends, until you have a little mushroom packet/burrito. Spray the top with olive oil and slide into the oven.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the packets are puffed up and golden. Slice and consume!
Ingredient Notes: The Gateway Market has loose shiitake and oyster mushrooms available at much lower prices than the packaged kind. We get our canned gluten/abalone at Double Dragon Market for 89 cents a can. You could use another kind of seitan, if you prefer. The canned sort is nice and juicy.
Pumpkin-Eggplant Polenta Lasagna
Yet another variation on Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan. One of our eggplants turned out to be past its prime, so I threw in some pumpkin puree and swiss chard from our garden to make up the difference. The result was incredible: creamy, savory and decadent. I have to say that this recipe is incredibly forgiving and amazingly tasty.
1 smallish eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup marinara sauce
2 cups pureed roasted pumpkin (or 1 can pumpkin puree)
1-2 pinches nutmeg
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed and torn into pieces
1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thin
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp each fresh basil and oregano, torn into bits
Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup soy creamer
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1-2 dashes Tobasco
Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown.
Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.
Mix the pumpkin puree with 2-3 Tbsp of the cheeze sauce and the nutmeg.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the garlic and swiss chard and cook for a minute or two, until the chard is wilty. Mix in half of the basil and oregano.
Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Layer the ingredients in a baking dish in the following order:
* polenta slices
* marinara
* eggplant slices
* cheeze sauce
* swiss chard mixture
* pumpkin mixture
* salt/pepper
* cheeze sauce
* polenta slices
* marinara sauce
* drizzle of cheeze sauce
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the remaining basil and oregano and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
1 smallish eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup marinara sauce
2 cups pureed roasted pumpkin (or 1 can pumpkin puree)
1-2 pinches nutmeg
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed and torn into pieces
1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thin
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp each fresh basil and oregano, torn into bits
Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup soy creamer
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1-2 dashes Tobasco
Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown.
Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.
Mix the pumpkin puree with 2-3 Tbsp of the cheeze sauce and the nutmeg.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the garlic and swiss chard and cook for a minute or two, until the chard is wilty. Mix in half of the basil and oregano.
Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Layer the ingredients in a baking dish in the following order:
* polenta slices
* marinara
* eggplant slices
* cheeze sauce
* swiss chard mixture
* pumpkin mixture
* salt/pepper
* cheeze sauce
* polenta slices
* marinara sauce
* drizzle of cheeze sauce
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the remaining basil and oregano and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Crispy Tempeh Fries
I served these with chipotle dipping sauce (the cheeze sauce from the eggplant parmesan, plus a chipotle pepper in adobo) alongside butternut squash soup.
1 package tempeh, sliced lengthwise and then cut into 'fingers'
1 Tbsp veggie boullion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
canola oil
salt
Toss the tempeh fingers with the bouillon and garlic powder. If desired, let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so for the coating to bond to the tempeh.
Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a skillet. Add the tempeh and fry over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove to a plate lined with brown paper and salt immediately.
1 package tempeh, sliced lengthwise and then cut into 'fingers'
1 Tbsp veggie boullion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
canola oil
salt
Toss the tempeh fingers with the bouillon and garlic powder. If desired, let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so for the coating to bond to the tempeh.
Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a skillet. Add the tempeh and fry over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove to a plate lined with brown paper and salt immediately.
Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna
This is my version of Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan, except I wanted to make it wheat-free. I also used jarred marinara sauce, because I'm lazy.
1 eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 handfuls Tings, crushed
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thing
Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup plain rice milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown. Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.
Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Put half the eggplant slices in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with half the polenta slices, followed by half the marinara, then half the cheeze sauce. Sprinkle with a handful of crushed Tings. Repeat, reserving the bulk of the crushed Tings for the top. Sprinkle the top with crushed Tings and grind a little more fresh pepper on top of the whole thing.
Bake for 20-40 minutes, or until browned. Eat!
1 eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 handfuls Tings, crushed
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thing
Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup plain rice milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown. Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.
Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Put half the eggplant slices in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with half the polenta slices, followed by half the marinara, then half the cheeze sauce. Sprinkle with a handful of crushed Tings. Repeat, reserving the bulk of the crushed Tings for the top. Sprinkle the top with crushed Tings and grind a little more fresh pepper on top of the whole thing.
Bake for 20-40 minutes, or until browned. Eat!
Bacon-y Potato-Swiss Chard Quiche
This recipe is from have cake, will travel. I adapted it to what I had on hand, and goddamn, was it tasty. It didn't set up very well, but I had proprotionately less tofu than veggies and probably didn't press out as much cooking liquid as I could have.
Crust:
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp margarine (cold)
1/4 cup water (cold)
Filling:
1 tsp olive oil
1 largish potato, cut into thin half-moons
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 bunch swiss chard, well rinsed and torn
3 garlic cloves, minced
6-10 tempeh bacon slices
Sauce:
1 package extra-firm silken tofu
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 chipotle in adobo
3 Tbsp miso
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c plain soy or rice milk
Prepare the crust. Whisk together the flour, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Use your hands to squish in the margine bits until crumbly. Add the water a little bit at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate/freeze for 10-20 minutes, to chill the dough.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Chop the potato, onion and garlic and rinse/tear the swiss chard. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the potato and onion and 1/4 tsp salt and saute for a few minutes. Add the water, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, put the swiss chard in a large pot with an inch or so of water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the swiss chard is all wilty. Drain the potatoes, onions and swiss chard in a colander (you may need to press out extra liquid).
Rinse/dry your skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the tempeh bacon slices and cook for 5 minutes, or until crispy. Chop/crumble into little bits.
Dump all the sauce ingredients in a large jar and blend until smooth.
Spray a pie dish with olive oil. Remove the dough from the fridge/freezer and roll it out between two sheets of wax paper until thin. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper and flip the dough circle into the pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Mix the potatoes, onions, garlic, swiss chard and bacon with the sauce. Ladle the mixture into the prebaked crust and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then serve!
Crust:
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp margarine (cold)
1/4 cup water (cold)
Filling:
1 tsp olive oil
1 largish potato, cut into thin half-moons
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 bunch swiss chard, well rinsed and torn
3 garlic cloves, minced
6-10 tempeh bacon slices
Sauce:
1 package extra-firm silken tofu
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 chipotle in adobo
3 Tbsp miso
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c plain soy or rice milk
Prepare the crust. Whisk together the flour, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Use your hands to squish in the margine bits until crumbly. Add the water a little bit at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate/freeze for 10-20 minutes, to chill the dough.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Chop the potato, onion and garlic and rinse/tear the swiss chard. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the potato and onion and 1/4 tsp salt and saute for a few minutes. Add the water, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, put the swiss chard in a large pot with an inch or so of water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the swiss chard is all wilty. Drain the potatoes, onions and swiss chard in a colander (you may need to press out extra liquid).
Rinse/dry your skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the tempeh bacon slices and cook for 5 minutes, or until crispy. Chop/crumble into little bits.
Dump all the sauce ingredients in a large jar and blend until smooth.
Spray a pie dish with olive oil. Remove the dough from the fridge/freezer and roll it out between two sheets of wax paper until thin. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper and flip the dough circle into the pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Mix the potatoes, onions, garlic, swiss chard and bacon with the sauce. Ladle the mixture into the prebaked crust and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then serve!
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