Veg Yum!

Mocha Chia Pudding

2012-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Last night was my first attempt at chia seed pudding. And OMG. I may be obsessed. This could not be simpler or tastier.

3 Tbsp chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee powder
10 drops vanilla liquid stevia

Combine in jar. Shake vigorously. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Makes2 servings, but I dare you not to eat it all at once.

Slow-Carbed Vegan Hot Wing/Mac and Beans Casserole

2012-01-08T18:37:00.001-08:00

This is a twist on an old favorite. The substitution of white beans for pasta not only lowers the carb content, it also makes it absurdly easy. I used a fire-roasted ketchup sweetened with stevia in this recipe, but you could easily sub tomato paste instead. This is all kinds of decadent. Creamy vegan comfort food with no sacrifices.

Hot Wings
1 package Trader Joe's chicken-less strips
3 Tbsp melted Earth Balance margarine OR olive oil (I bet AllSpice's butter-flavored olive oil would be awesome here)
4 Tbsp stevia-sweetened ketchup OR tomato paste
2-1/2 Tbsp Siracha

Whisk the melted margarine, ketchup and Siracha together. Put the "chicken" strips in the bottom of a casserole dish and pour the sauce over them.

Mac and Beans
2 cans white beans (cannelini or butter beans), drained and rinsed

1/3 cup raw cashews
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp tahini
1/2 Tbsp roasted garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Layer the beans on top of the hot wings.

Blend everything else in a blender for 3-5 minutes, or until completely smooth. Pour the cheese sauce over the beans.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Pesto Broccoli and Chickpeas

2012-01-07T16:50:00.001-08:00

1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup pesto
1 head garlic, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp slivered almonds, optional

Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes.

Black Bean Brownies

2011-12-29T15:37:00.001-08:00

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 eggs
3 Tbsp coconut or canola oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup SweetLeaf sugar/stevia blend (or 3/4 cup sugar)
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking dish. Blend all ingredients and pour into dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 15 brownies.

Seitan Roast Stuffed with Mushrooms and Leeks

2011-12-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

This is basically this recipe from the PPK, but with a few substitutions/additions:

I had cooked cannellini beans, so I used those instead of pinto beans
I subbed mashed beans and almond meal for the breadcrumbs in the filling
I used mushroom broth and mushroom-flavored olive oil to boost the mushroomy-ness
I served it with this gravy

I got rave reviews from everyone who's tried it, and it's packed full of tasty protein.

Savory Vegan Gravy

2011-12-29T07:48:00.001-08:00

This is based off a recipe my friend Kelli once served us on stuffed peppers.

1 cup veggie broth (I used mushroom broth)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika

1/3 cup white beans

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, blend with a stick blender and heat until bubbling. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until it thickens.

Roasted Cauliflower

2011-12-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

1 head cauliflower, broken up into florets
olive oil spray
smoked salt
chipotle powder

Preheat the oven to 375. Scatter the cauliflower florets on a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and chipotle powder. Bake for 20 minutes.

Baba Ghanoush

2011-12-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

1 medium-large eggplant
1 head garlic
olive oil
1/4 tsp smoked sea salt
1/3 cup Trader Joe's tahini sauce
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 dash liquid smoke (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Poke the eggplant all over with a knife or fork, spray or rub with olive oil, and bake for 1 hour, or until collapsing.

Meanwhile, rub the extra skin off a head of garlic, cut the top off and spray/rub with oil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.

Let the eggplant cool for a bit, then peel off the skin. Remove as many of the seeds as you can get (don't stress about it, though). Peel the roasted garlic cloves. Add the garlic, salt, tahini, chipotle and cumin to the eggplant flesh. Mash thoroughly or blend with a stick blender. Taste, and if you like it a bit smokier, add a dash of liquid smoke.

Chipotle Devilled Eggs

2011-12-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

6 eggs
1/4 cup mayo (I used reduced fat mayo from Trader Joe's)
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1 tsp vinegar (I used the dark chocolate balsamic vinegar from Allspice)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
smoked paprika for dusting

Put the eggs in a pan with just enough water to cover them. Bring to a roiling boil, then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat and pour in cold/ice water to cool them down. Peel and halve the eggs, scooping the yolks out.

Mash the yolks with the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and chipotle powder. Spoon the filling back into the egg whites and dust with paprika. Serve chilled.

Roasted Broccoli, Balsamic Mushrooms & Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh

2011-12-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh (from Veganomicon)

***

Roasted Broccoli

This couldn't be easier.

1 head broccoli, cut into florets
olive oil spray
sea salt (smoked or regular)

Preheat your oven to 400. Scatter the broccoli florets on a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Stick in the oven for 25 minutes.

***

Balsamic Mushrooms

1 Tbsp olive oil (I used the Wild Mushroom & Sage olive oil from AllSpice)
8 oz crimini mushrooms, halved
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and salt and stir until the mushrooms have darkened. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Adventures in Slow-Carb Vegetarian Dining in Des Moines

2011-12-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

I've been attempting a few-week trial of the Slow-Carb Diet outlined in Tim Ferris' The Four Hour Body lately. I'm having absolutely no troubles cooking at home following his guidelines, but eating out can get tricky, particularly as a vegetarian. I thought I'd start this post as a list of options I've found so far in Des Moines:

Mexican

huevos rancheros (hold the rice)
guacamole
refried/black beans
vegetable fajitas (minus the sour cream and tortillas, get guacamole and beans)
Many of the build-your-own-burrito places have burrito bowls where you can get the goods minus the tortillas. Load up on beans, vegetables, guacamole and salsa.
Places to try:

Chipotle
Pancheros
Dos Rios: tableside guacamole and the vegetable molcajete
Bandit Burrito (has vegan chorizo)
Fighting Burrito (has vegan chorizo)
Cuatro Burrito Bar (has vegan chorizo)

Thai

tofu/vegetable stir-frys and curries (hold the rice)
papaya salad
tom kha soup with tofu
Places to try:

Taste of Thai: offers gluten/wheat-meat as an alternative to tofu, which is higher in protein
Lemon Grass
Rolling Wok
Cool Basil
Thai Flavors

Japanese

agedashi tofu
edamame
miso soup
seaweed/avocado salad
Places to try:

Appare

Indian

any of the dals or curries (without potatoes or paneer), hold the rice and naan

baingan bartha (eggplant and peas)
chana masala (chickpeas)
mushroom mattar (mushrooms and peas)
dal (lentils)
bindhi masala (okra and onions)

Places to try:

India Star
Namaste

Breakfast

omelettes or scrambles with vegetables, hold the cheese
Places to try:

La Mie: tofu scramble or vegetable scramble
Gateway Market: tofu scramble, huevos motelenos (hold the ham)

American

veggie burgers without the bun
vegetable sides
hummus with vegetables (carrots, celery) to dip
salads
soups
Places to try:

Big City Burgers and Greens: try the Metro Veggie Burger with a lettuce wrap and edamame as your side
Gateway Market
Django
Drake Diner
Centro
Zombie Burger: try the burger that uses mushrooms as the bun with a veggie patty and fried brussel sprouts
The Contintental: get the chickpea salad as a side and try the truffled mushrooms as a starter

Mediterranean

baba ghanoush
hummus
falafel
lentil soup
Places to try:

Open Sesame: try the falafel salad with a side of baba ghanoush and the lentil soup
Proof: get the falafel (minus the flatbread) with a salad

Scrambled Eggs with Soyrizo and Salsa

2011-12-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tube soyrizo, crumbled
4-5 eggs
1/4 cup cheddar or gouda, shredded

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and soyrizo and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, spices and salt and cook for 1 more minute. Add the salsa and simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Add the eggs and cook until no longer liquidy, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle on the cheese and serve immediately.

Pumpkin-Ricotta-Spinach Casserole

2011-12-22T07:28:00.000-08:00

1 small pumpkin (or spaghetti squash), roasted
1 bag frozen spinach
1 container fat-free ricotta
1 egg
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp roasted garlic powder

1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
nutritional yeast
pine nuts

Shred the squash/pumpkin flesh. Mix with the frozen spinach, ricotta, beaten egg, nutmeg, salt, white pepper and roasted garlic powder. Dust with nutritional yeast and sprinkle on some pine nuts. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Refried Beans (a la Kelli)

2011-12-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

My friend Kelli taught me how to make beans this way, and I haven't looked back since.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chipotle powder (optional but awesome)
2 cloves garlic

3 cups cooked pinto beans, black beans or black-eyed peas
salt to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and spices and heat for 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the beans and salt and mash the beans until creamy. Cook until the desired consistency.

Mexican Tofu Scramble

2011-12-15T06:39:00.002-08:00

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp salt (can use up to half black salt if an 'eggy' flavor is desired)
1/4 cup salsa
1 pound firm tofu, mashed
1/2 tube soyrizo
hot sauce to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the spices, salt and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tofu, salsa and soyrizo and cook for 5 more minutes, or until heated through.

Mediterranean Casserole

2011-12-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

This was thrown together from things in my pantry. I actually have yet to sample the finished product. It was pretty easy to make, though.

6 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can white kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can whole black olives, drained and smooshed
1/4 cup eggplant/garlic dip from Trader Joe's (I might leave this out next time)
1/3 cup hummus
3 Tbsp chopped basil
1/4 cup dry red wine

Mix together. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Broccoli Gardein Divan (Vegan Option)

2011-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

Thaw by microwaving, steaming, or pouring boiling water briefly over them in a colander.

2 Gardein chick'n scallopini breasts
1 bag frozen broccoli florets

Chop the Gardein into bite-sized pieces. Blend up the sauce (you could also use Hurry-Up Vegan Alfredo):

1 cup nonfat Greek plain yogurt (or plain soy yogurt)
1/2 cup reduced fat mayo (Trader Joe's brand is accidentally vegan)
1/4 cup hummus

Mix into the sauce:

1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp celery flakes

Put a layer of Gardein bits in the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with broccoli. Top with sauce.
Top that with:

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/3 cup toasted almond slivers

Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cauliflower Butternut Red Lentil Curry (Vegan)

2011-12-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
2/3 cup red lentils
1 jar Trader Joe's Masala curry simmer sauce
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cups veggie broth

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Bread

2011-11-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

This recipe was originally from PPK, back in the day. I think it's no longer available online, but you really can't go wrong with this pumpkin bread. It's all kinds of moist and delicious.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with canola oil.

Mix together:
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp allspice (I used garam masala)
1/8 tsp cloves

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
2 Tbsp maple syrup (I used sorghum molasses)
1-1/2 tsp powdered egg replacer OR 1 Tbsp soy yogurt

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Mine didn't exactly get to the clean/knife stage, but that's fine by me. And since the batter's vegan, it's safe if undercooked.)

This photo is all that remains after taking this to a gathering of friends.

Mini Portable Breakfast Things

2011-11-06T20:04:00.001-08:00

These are awesome and easy to make. If you're vegan, you can sub the eggs with this tofu mini quiche recipe.

A dozen eggs OR one batch tofu mini quiche mixture
12 slices smoked tomato Field Roast OR vegetarian bacon
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach OR kale (optional)
Smoked salt
Tobasco (optional)

Spray twelve muffin tins with oil. Line each tin with a slice of Field Roast or vegetarian bacon. Top with 1 tsp spinach or kale. Crack 1 egg on top of each one (or spoon in a few tablespoons of vegan quiche mixture). Top each cup with a pinch of salt and a dash of hot sauce. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes (30 if using the vegan option).

Each cup is about 100 calories of protein-y goodness.

Kale and Hearts of Palm Greek Yogurt Quiche (with vegan options)

2011-11-06T20:01:00.001-08:00

2 bunches kale, trimmed and chopped
1/2 zucchini, shredded*
4 cloves garlic
1.5 cups hearts of palm, chopped finely
1 leek, chopped finely*
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups plain Greek yogurt OR soy yogurt
2 Tbsp capers*
3 eggs OR 1/3 cup hummus
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast*
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika*
1 Tbsp pine nuts*

* optional ingredients

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, leek, zucchini and kale and stir for a few minutes. Add some water, cover and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the kale is dark green.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs/hummus and yogurt together. Mix in the salt, pepper, paprika and nutritional yeast. Spray a casserole dish well.

Mix the kale mixture with oregano, pine nuts, hearts of palm and capers. Pour the yogurt mixture over the vegetables, and stir well. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 8.

Vegan Tempeh Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-10-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

1 package baby bella mushrooms, cleaned
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 smallish shallots
3 slices tempeh bacon
1/2 cup cooked pinto beans
1 head roasted garlic (optional)
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp Better than Bouillon vegetable base or miso
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Twist the stems gently out of the mushrooms. Mince them along with the shallots and tempeh bacon. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushroom stems, shallots and tempeh and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and brush the mushroom caps with the mixture.

Mash the pinto beans and roasted garlic. Add the sage, bouillon/miso and nutritional yeast and mix well. Add the shallot/tempeh mixture to the beans and stir to combine.

Spoon a heaping spoonful into each mushroom cap. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cheezy Broccoli Tempeh Divan

2011-10-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

1 batch Vegan Alfredo (recipe follows)
1 tsp curry powder
8 oz. frozen broccoli, thawed
2 cups baked winter squash cubes (optional)
1 block (8 oz.) tempeh, steamed and mashed
1/2 cup french fried onions OR slivered almonds

Combine broccoli, tempeh, vegan alfredo and curry powder in a casserole dish. Top with onions and/or almonds. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vegan Alfredo
1/3 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for an hour or so (if not, just blend longer)
2/3 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp stone ground mustard
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp hummus

Combine in a blender and blend for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Stuffed Delicata Squash w/ Apples, Onions, "Sausage" and Beets

2011-10-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Ingredients: Makes 6 servings

3 delicata or acorn squash, halved, seeds scooped out

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 apple, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patties,s diced

1 beet, roasted

2 tsp. pomegranate molasses

1 tsp. sage

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. garam masala

1/2 tsp. smoked salt

2 Tbsp hummus

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish with a little water in it and let cook while the rest of your ingredients are being prepared.

Dice the roasted beet and toss with pomegranate molasses.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, apple and sausage chunks and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the spices and stir for another few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the hummus and beets.

Remove the squash halves from the oven. Drain off the water. Spoon the apple mixture into the squash halves and bake for 20 minutes.

Vegan Mexican "Eggs"

2011-10-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 black bean burger, minced*
1/3 cup salsa
1 cup corn

1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
A pinch cumin
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp smoked salt

1 pound firm tofu, drained
1 cup pepper jack Daiya shreds
tortilla chips

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the burger crumbles and cook for 3 minutes. Add the corn, salsa, spices and salt. Cook until no longer soupy. Crumble the tofu in and stir for another 3 minutes or so. Add the Daiya and cook until melty.

Serve by spooning onto tortilla chips.

* I really like the MorningStar Farms black bean chipotle burgers, but they're not strictly vegan.

(Almost) Vegan Tuna Noodle Casserole

2011-08-08T06:44:00.001-07:00

This whole odyssey started when I found a package of veggie tuna at Campbell's -- which, sadly, contains whey and egg products, so it's the only part of this recipe that isn't vegan. (I'm sure a good substitute could be made with a steamed chicken-style seitan plus fishy flavoring. I'll experiment more with this in the future.)

Both the boy and I miss tuna noodle casserole from our omnivorous days, so I decided to try veganizing it. I replaced the cream of mushroom soup with vegan alfredo + mushrooms and used Daiya pepper jack shreds for the cheesy top. The result was an unqualified success: creamy, salty, baked noodly deliciousness.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

1 lb. noodles of choice (I used Kalona tomato noodles)

4 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

Boil the salted water. Drop the noodles in and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and add to casserole dish.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped (I used oyster mushrooms from the farmers' market)

1/4 tsp smoked salt (sea salt will do just fine)

1 package veggie tuna, chopped finely

Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the chopped veggie tuna and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish, mixing with the noodles.

Vegan Alfredo

1/3 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for an hour or so (if not, just blend longer)

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp white miso

2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine

2 tsp stone ground mustard

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp hummus

4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)

1 tsp nori or dulse (seaweed) flakes

Combine in a blender and blend for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Pour the alfredo over the noodle mixture and mix well. Top with Daiya shreds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty. Consume!

Ingredient Notes: I got the veggie tuna and nori flakes at Campbell's. The noodles and Daiya shreds came from Gateway Market. The mushrooms and mustard came from the downtown farmers' market. I get my miso, nutritional yeast and Earth Balance at New City Market. The smoked salt came from Trader Joe's.

Vegan Baingan Bartha

2011-07-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp canola oil
aromatics
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 1 tsp ginger, grated or finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
spices
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sea salt
roasted, skinned and mashed veggies
- 1 eggplant
- 1-2 sweet potatoes (optional)
- 3 tiny golden beets (optional)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1-1/2 cups frozen peas
1/3 cup soy milk creamer

Heat canola oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover and wait until you hear them popping, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the spices and salt and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the roasted veggies and tomatoes and stir. Add the creamer, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the tomatoes have mostly collapsed. Add the frozen peas and cook for 3 more minutes, or until heated through.

Notes: This was very mild. If you want a spicier kick, you could add chipotle powder for some smoky heat.

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

2011-06-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

3 yellow bell peppers, seeded and halved
Daiya pepper jack shreds
1 can pinto beans, drained
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp lime juice

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 veg bouillon cube
1/4 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, chipotle powder and cumin

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cook, covered, for 20 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid.

1/2 package veggie chorizo (I used Upton Naturals)
1 small onion, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive in a skillet. Pan-fry the chorizo and onions for 5-7 minutes, or until slightly crispy and charred on the bottom.

Mix the cooked chorizo and quinoa with the beans. Mash the beans lightly. Add the nutritional yeast and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stuff the pepper halves with the quinoa mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 450. Sprinkle the Daiya shreds on top and cook for another 5 minutes, or until they're all melty.

Mexican Zucchini Soup

2011-06-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably simple and tasty.

1 zucchini, sliced
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes with chilies, with juice
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 package soyrizo
1-1/2 cups frozen or fresh corn
1/2 tsp salt

Combine in a soup pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Serve with crushed corn chips mixed in, if desired.

Farmer's Market Quinoa Pilaf

2011-06-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

2/3 cup dry quinoa
1-1/3 cup vegetable broth

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.

1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 green onion, diced
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces
salt and lime/lemon juice to taste
1 handful chopped fresh herbs (I used basil and tarragon)
1 can white kidney beans, drained
2 Tbsp red pepper-eggplant spread (optional)

Heat the olive oil on medium. Add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and let cook for 5 minutes, or until darkened and juicy. Add the onion and asparagus, sprinkle with more salt and lime juice and cook until the asparagus is fork-tender. Add the herbs, red pepper spread and cooked quinoa and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Vegan Cheesecake Cookie Dough Bars

2011-06-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

These, adapted for vegan-friendliness from this recipe, are absolutely decadent.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp brown sugar
5 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temperature

Cheesecake Filling:
8 oz vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup hot cocoa mix (I used Ghiradelli) OR 1/4 cup sugar + 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 tsp egg replacer (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cookie Dough:
2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temperature
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Before you start, set out your margarine and vegan cream cheese and let it warm up. (This isn't essential, but it makes things easier.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Mix with the sugar and 5 Tbsp margarine. Press the mixture into the bottom of an oiled baking dish. Bake the crust for 6-7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let crust cool a bit. (You could also use a pre-made graham cracker or Oreo crust, if you want to skip this step.)

Mix the cream cheese, hot cocoa mix (or sugar + cocoa powder), egg replacer and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the crust.

Combine the remaining margarine, canola oil, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop the cookie dough evenly over the cheesecake layer.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is crunchy. Let cool as much as possible before eating.

Kale Artichoke White Bean Strata

2011-06-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to say exactly how I came up with this dish. I was thinking spanakopita, but vegan. And then my pantry conspired to create this casticasserole.

Skillet Wine-Braised Chard, Beans and Sausage with Polenta

2011-05-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Inspired by this recipe and the fact that I got a tub of organic rainbow chard at Hy-Vee for 99 cents last week.

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tube polenta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

In a non-stick skillet, pan-fry the polenta cubes until crispy on several sides (you can also spray them with oil and stick them in the oven for this).

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tofurkey Italian sausages, sliced into coins
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a whole mess of rainbow chard, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup red wine (any red wine will do; I used a TJ's Cabernet)
1 can white beans (I used cannellini, but any will do), rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp capers, drained (optional)
1 handful fresh basil, chopped

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add the chard and wine, stir, and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the chard has wilted. Add the beans, tomatoes, capers and herbs. Heat through. Stir in the crispy polenta cubes and serve hot.

Farmers' Market Quiche

2011-05-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

I only buy eggs during farmers' market season, and then only from farms that I know treat their animals well. This makes quiche a fairly rare delicacy around our house. This one was easy and delicious.

1 tube biscuits

1 tsp olive oil

3 strips tempeh bacon, chopped

3-4 stalks asparagus, diced

2 spring onions, diced

2 stalks of spring garlic, diced

1 Tbsp fresh oregano and/or thyme

1 large bag spinach, rinsed

4 eggs

1-2 Tbsp grated cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Spray a pie plate with oil. Squish the biscuit dough out until it covers the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh bacon, asparagus, onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onions/garlic are wilted and the asparagus is tender. Remove the mixture from the pot and spread over the biscuit dough.

Add the spinach & 1/4 cup water to the pot and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the spinach is dark green. Drain the spinach in a colander, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Chop the spinach finely and spread over the biscuit dough. Sprinkle herbs on top.

Beat the eggs lightly. Mix in the grated cheese, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture on top of the other ingredients in the pie plate. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ingredient notes: I grabbed everything except the biscuits and tempeh bacon at the farmers' market this weekend. The eggs & spring garlic came from Coyote Run. The cheese was Prairie Breeze cheddar out of Milton (purchased at Gateway Market some months ago). The asparagus came from Reinhart's Family Farm. The spinach and spring onions showed up somewhere along the route, too. You could, of course, use a pre-packaged pie crust, but watch the ingredient list for lard.

Asparagus-Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

2011-05-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

This was a spur-of the moment creation from this week's farmers' market haul, but the boy and I both agreed that it was damn tasty (and pretty simple, to boot).

3/4 cup quinoa
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup almond pieces (or pine nuts or cashews, optional)

Combine water, broth and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then let simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in nuts, if using, and let stand.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 head roasted garlic (or 3 fresh cloves, minced)
8 oz. oyster mushrooms, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt to taste
lime juice to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until starting to get translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic, sprinkle in a little salt, and stir for another few minutes. Add the asparagus and herbs, spritz with lime juice and stir for 3-5 more minutes, or until the asparagus is tender and the mushrooms are cooked through. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Add more salt and lime juice to taste.

Serve sprinkled with a little nutritional yeast, if desired.

Quick Seitan Tacos

2011-04-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

We threw together tacos last night in about 10 minutes flat.

corn tortillas, warmed on a hot skillet*

pan-fried seitan** of choice

a schmear of chipotle remoulade or hummus

salsa verde***

chopped avocado

a handful of arugula (or other salad green of choice)

* You do need to warm the tortillas, or they won't be flexible enough. If you over-skillet them, though, they'll get tough. 15 seconds on each side should do it.

** The seitan I used was a pre-made batch of Veganomicon chickpea cutlets, only with pinto beans instead of chickpeas (and steamed, not fried). I just chopped them into strips and pan-fried them with a little olive oil until they were crispy on two or three sides.

***You could use regular salsa, but salsa verde is amazingly awesome; I get mine fresh from Gateway Market.

Tempeh Bacon/Arugula/Avocado Sammiches

2011-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week has been a little insane, so we've been winging meals. This one is so simple, it barely qualifies as a recipe. But here we are anyhow.

1 English muffin, toasted (I used whole wheat)

chipotle remoulade (recipe follows)

2 strips tempeh bacon, pan-fried (I used Lightlife, but you can make your own)

1/4 avocado, sliced

a handful of arugula

1 thick slice of tomato (optional)

Chipotle remoulade:

1/2 cup vegan mayo (Trader Joe's reduced fat mayo is accidentally vegan)

1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo

1 Tbsp capers

Sweet Potato Samosa Pie

2011-03-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe and was inspired. I love sweet potatoes. I love samosas. There's really no downside here. Because I had a head of cauliflower, I decided to try this Caulipots style (check out Post Punk Kitchen's Appetite for Reduction for the skinny on that technique). And OMG. Completely delicious.

Note: A lot of the spices are optional here; I happen to have a crapload of Indian spices lying around. You could cheat and just go with more curry powder if you're feeling lazy.

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

2 small or 1 large sweet potato, chopped

2 cups frozen peas

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (you could sub dried)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup vegetable broth + 1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 pie crust OR 1 tube crescent rolls

Indian spice mix:

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

For serving:

tamarind dipping sauce OR chipotle Tobasco

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a largish pot. Add the mustard seeds and cover, until you hear the seeds popping. Uncover and add the onions; cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to get translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute, then dump in all the rest of the spices and stir for one more minute.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potato, salt, veggie broth and water. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower and sweet potato are very soft. Drain off any excess broth and mash the cauliflower and sweet potato together. Add the peas.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a greased pie pan. Top with pie crust or crescent roll dough. Bake until the top is golden (45 minutes for pie crust, 20 or so for the crescent roll dough).

Serve with tamarind sauce or chipotle Tobasco drizzled on top.

Vegan Solarz

2011-02-14T18:07:00.000-08:00

We went to Mars Cafe for brunch the other day, where my husband got the Solarz breakfast sandwich, which was cream cheese, a fried egg, jam and spinach. It looked tasty, so I set out to veganize it.

1 English muffin
1/4 vegan omelette (I used the baked recipe from Happy Herbivore)
1 Tbsp vegan cream cheese
1 Tbsp raspberry jam
1 handful arugula (or baby spinach)

Vegan Taco Pizza

2011-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (or crescent roll dough, or pizza dough)

1/2 can vegetarian refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

2-3 Tbsp vegan cream cheese (optional)

1 handful kalamata olives, diced

1 vegan chorizo sausage, crumbled (I used the recipe from Vegan Brunch)

1-2 handfuls Daiya cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If using puff pastry, bake it on a pizza stone for 10 minutes before adding toppings.

Mix the refried beans with the salsa and cream cheese. Spread a generous slathering on the crust. Top with olives and sausage, then with Daiya. Press everything down flat. Bake for 20 minutes.

Mediterranean Artichoke Casserole

2011-01-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

This casserole was borne out of pantry desperation, but it turned out lovely. I might ditch the fake chicken next time, though... it just didn't impress me.

2 cans white beans, drained (I used white kidney and butter beans)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1-1/2 cups artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 package Trader Joes chicken-less strips, diced (or other equivalent, optional)

1 tsp dried sage

3-4 Tbsp vegan cream cheese

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

Mix the beans, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, 'chicken' bits and sage together in a casserole dish. Distribute little bits of the vegan cream cheese across the whole thing and stir. Top with puff pastry and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, or until the puff pastry is all puffed up and golden.

***

If you have a little strip of puff pastry left over, I like to slather it with raspberry jam, sprinkle on some chocolate chips, roll it up and dust it with hot cocoa mix, then bake for 20-30 minutes. It tastes amazingly decadent, and it's so damn easy.

Laura's Amazing Creamy Tortilla Spread

2011-01-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

This recipe was veganized off one from my friend Laura, who makes these amazing tortilla roll-ups for parties. My accidental reformulationrecipe has become a huge hit around my house. It doesn't layer up thick enough to make neat slices, but it's damn tasty just slathered and rolled on a tortilla.

1 8 oz. tub vegan cream cheese

1 cup (ish) of hummus

2-4 Tbsp salsa

diced black olives to taste

Spread thickly on a tortilla and roll up.

Soup from a Stone

2011-01-05T09:46:00.001-08:00

When I was a kid, there was a book I loved called 'Soup from a Stone.' It's in a poor village where people are hungry, and a visitor comes around claiming that she can make soup from a stone. (Hence the book's catchphrase: "Soup from a stone? Fancy that!") She convinces the locals to throw in little bits of whatever they've got on hand... a carrot, a potato... and before you know it, they have delicious soup!

I love soup, for many reasons. 1) It's dead simple. 2) It's generally pretty good for you. 3) It's an easy way to use up otherwise unusable things and thereby save money.

This soup started with a hunk of collard greens I'd cooked and frozen earlier this year. Then some lentils, a handful of nearly expired baby carrots, and a potato that was starting to grow eyes. Chuck in the crock pot and serve. Couldn't be easier.

Soup from a stone? Fancy that!

2 cups frozen greens

1 cup dry brown lentils

1 can diced tomatoes + 1 can water

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (I used 'Better Than Beef')

Cook on low in a crock pot for 8 hours.

Cheezy Broccoli-Orzo Casserole

2010-12-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

When the weather turns cold, I crave creamy, hot comfort food. This turned out just about perfect, and it's very easy to make.

1 batch Hurry Up Vegan Alfredo Sauce
1-1/2 cups orzo (I bet other kinds of small pasta would work, too, or even rice)
4 cups water
salt to taste
8 oz. frozen broccoli
1 can white beans, drained
1/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese shreds
1/2 cup french fried onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring salted water to a boil and cook orzo for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Make the alfredo sauce in the meantime. Drain the orzo. Mix orzo with broccoli, beans and alfredo sauce. Top with shredded Daiya and french fried onions. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve.

Appetite for Reduction: Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad

2010-12-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

My Christmas present to myself was a copy of vegan chef extraordinaire Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite For Reduction. I trust Isa's recipes to be uniformly delicious, even when she's trying to be healthy.

The everyday chickpea/quinoa salad is pretty simple. Cooked quinoa, a can of chickpeas, basalmic vinaigrette (this is what really makes it, and I highly suggest you check out the book for the recipe). I added shredded carrots, black garlic, chopped leeks and fresh basil to mine.

It's a wonderful, protein-rich sandwich spread. And it's damn tasty.

Tempeh Hot Wing/Mac & Cheese Casserole

2010-12-07T06:34:00.000-08:00

I've made this totally vegan, and I've cheated and used a box of Annie's Mac. Either way, it's delicious. Inspired by Vegan MoFo #16: Amy Supreme.

1. Make a batch of mac and cheese. (My favorite vegan recipe follows).

2. Cut a block of tempeh into chunks. Boil/steam the chunks with a little soy sauce and water for 10 minutes.

3. Mix 4 Tbsp melted margarine, 2-1/2 Tbsp hot sauce, 2 Tbsp agave nectar and 4 Tbsp ketchup. Stir until smooth. Toss with the cooked tempeh in the bottom of a casserole dish.

4. Spread the mac and cheese on top of the tempeh. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

***

Vegan Creamy Shells

8 oz. small pasta shells, cooked in salted water until tender

1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup water
1/2 veg. bouillon cube
1/2 Tbsp. miso
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
salt to taste
1 Tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp mustard
2-3 dashes Tobasco

Mix the flour, yeast, water and bouillon in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Mix in miso, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or so. Stir in the margarine and mustard and Tobasco. Remove from heat, add pasta and stir to coat.

Crockpot Seitan Roast w/ Carrots and Potatoes

2010-11-04T07:45:00.001-07:00

This is loosely based off recipes from Robin Robertson and Ellen's Kitchen, though of course I can't do anything normal and have to screw around with it. I put this in my crock pot this morning, and I'm letting it cook for 6 hours on low. I'll report back with results.

UPDATE: The texture was a little soft for my liking, but the flavor was spot-on. I used about half a cup of black beans in this batch... I think I'll leave them out next time and perhaps replace them with chickpea flour. Also, I was in a hurry and probably didn't knead it long enough.

For the veggies:
1 pound baby carrots
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 pound potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup vegetable stock (I used liquid left over from slow-cooking beans)

Oil the inside of a crock pot. Mix the carrots, potatoes, garlic and onions together with the thyme, salt and pepper in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour the stock over the vegetables.

Seitan dry mix:
2 cups vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp each cumin, smoked paprika, dried sage, chipotle powder, vegetable broth powder, sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme

Mix together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Seitan wet mix
1-1/2 cups water (I used bean cooking liquid)
3 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp better than beef bouillon
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp olive oil

Blend until smooth. Add to the seitan dry mixture and knead for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dough springs back when you release it. You may need to add more wheat gluten, depending on various factors. Your final dough should be a little moist, but not sticky. (I always make sure to take the mixture into the other room while I'm kneading it and moan "BRAAAIIINS. BRAAAAIIIIINS!") Shape into a loaf, rub with a little extra olive oil and lay on top of the vegetables in the crock pot. If you like, you can pour another half cup of stock over the roast.

Put the lid on the crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low.

Tofurky Vegan Pizza

2010-10-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

I found these at New City Market last night, and they are deliciously reminiscent of the Tombstone frozen pizzas I used to eat as a kid. Not health food by any stretch, but very tasty. I tried the Fire-Roasted Veggie and Sausage variety; your mileage may vary with the other flavors.

Pumpkin-Tahini Spice Dip

2010-10-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

2 cups baked pumpkin or winter squash
2 Tbsp hummus
2 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp egg replacer (optional)

Puree all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then serve on fresh apple slices or crackers.

Butternut-Polenta Casserole with Salsa Verde

2010-10-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yet another fly-by-night recipe composed largely of things I had lying around the house. Again, you could make it easier or harder depending on what degree you make things from scratch.

1 tube polenta - sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 cup enchilada sauce
4 cups roasted butternut squash - mashed roughly
1 can red kidney beans - drained & rinsed
1 tube veggie chorizo (optional)
1 cup salsa verde (recipe follows)
3 cups corn chips - crushed

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Lay the polenta slices down and top with enchilada sauce. Combine the squash, beans and chorizo and spread on top of the polenta. Top with salsa verde, followed by crushed chips. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

***

Salsa Verde

This recipe is from my lovely friend Kelli, who is my first resource when it comes to homemade Mexican food.

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/4 cup onion - minced
1 small pepper - roasted
1/2 head roasted garlic
1 bunch cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute or so, or until no longer chunky.

Note: To roast the pepper, you can either rub it with olive oil and roast in the oven, hold it over the gas flame until it blackens, or put it on a grill pan. If you're using a hot pepper, add a little at a time, being careful of the seeds. To roast garlic, simply slice the top off the whole head and pop it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.

Arugula-Beet Salad w/ Figs

2010-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

I ate far too much of this at lunch. Still, I suppose there are worse things to be obsessed over than beets, right?

3-4 medium-sized beets, roasted, peeled & sliced
2 figs, roasted and sliced
1 bunch arugula
2-3 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

For best flavor, combine the beets and the pomegranate molasses and let sit in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, just combine everything and eat!

Roasting Notes: To roast the beets, slice off the tops and tails and wrap them in foil. Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, or until they're soft all the way through. Remove from foil, let cool, and rub the skins off. To roast the figs, slice them in half, lay them in a baking dish, and roast for 20 minutes.

Ingredient Notes: I got my pomegranate molasses at Gateway Market. It's more tart than sweet.

Butternut Squash Patties w/ Tomato Relish

2010-10-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

I made my pumpkin patties again, only this time with butternut squash and a mild tomato relish (my mom was visiting, and she doesn't like spicy things). There were no leftovers.

Butternut Squash Patties

3-4 cups roasted butternut squash, roughly mashed
3-4 shallots, minced
1 handful basil, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp raw sugar (optional)
canola oil for frying

Combine all ingredients and stir until mixture forms patties. Heat the canola oil and fry on each side for 4-5 minutes. Drain on paper.

Tomato Relish

2 cups diced tomatoes (I used Green Zebras, my favorite)
1 handful basil, cut into thin strips
1 tsp garlic jelly (optional, but delicious)

Combine and let sit until the patties are done. Spoon on top of the patties and serve.

Flatbread w/ Roasted Squash, Arugula, Shallots & Figs

2010-10-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

This was definitely different, but surprisingly delicious.

Based off a recipe from Chef Chloe. This is one of those recipes that can be more or less difficult depending on how many shortcuts you use. I used pre-made pizza dough from Gateway Market and hummus from Costco, as well as squash I'd roasted last week, and it came together in about 10 minutes.

1 batch pizza or flatbread dough
1/4 cup hummus
a handful of arugula
a small handful of basil leaves, cut into strips
3-4 shallots, sliced thinly
2 figs, sliced thinly
2/3 cup roasted winter squash (butternut, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Stretch the dough out on a cornmeal-covered pizza stone. Spread the hummus in a thin layer on top. Place the arugula and basil on top of the hummus; follow with shallots, roasted squash and figs. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Patties w/ Chipotle Sauce

2010-10-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

I roasted a pumpkin earlier this week, and so I'm putting it into *everything*. Tonight I was making zucchini patties, and I remembered the squash patties my mom used to make. A little sweet, crispy on the outside and soft inside, redolent of spiciness and warmth.

1 cup cooked pumpkin/winter squash, roughly mashed or pureed
2 heaping Tbsp chickpea flour
2 heaping Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp hummus (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala
a pinch of cloves
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients together. You should have a stiff batter. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet. Using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each, flatten into patties and fry until browned and crispy on both sides.

Chipotle Sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1/3 cup silken tofu
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
2 tsp capers
1 Tbsp smokey chipotle jam

Puree and serve.

Pumpkin Chili

2010-10-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

2 cups chopped cooked pumpkin
2 cans red kidney beans - drained
1 head roasted garlic
1 16-oz jar enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp adobo sauce
2 cooked sweet potatoes - diced
1 small roasted beet - diced
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 vegan sausage - diced

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 8 hours.

Baba Ghanoush

2010-10-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

1 eggplant
olive oil
roasted garlic
lemon juice
chipotle powder
tahini (or hummus)

Stab your eggplant a couple of times and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and collapsing. Let cool. Remove the skin and as many seeds as you can (you won't be able to get them all; don't stress about it).

Using a stick blender, puree the eggplant. Add other ingredients to taste and blend well.

Easy Roasted Vegetables

2010-10-04T09:12:00.001-07:00

Any time my oven's on, I try to pop something extra in it. A head of garlic, some beets, a squash, an eggplant... not only does it help me not waste heat, it leaves me with easy-prep meal material later in the week. On Saturday night, I made a meal out of mostly pre-roasted veggies... good for you, and really easy.

Roasted Okra
Wash whole okra pods. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, garlic powder and chipotle powder (optional). Roast at 425 for 20 minutes. Serve hot (don't eat the stems).

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Wash sweet potatoes and cut the ends off. Place in a baking dish and roast at 400 for 30 minutes, or until soft. When ready to eat, split it half and top with roasted garlic or baba ghanoush.

Roasted Beets
Wash beets and trim the ends off. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake until a knife goes easily through them (depends on the size of your beet, but start at 20 minutes and go from there. When cooled, rub the skins off. (My favorite easy way to serve beets is to drizzle them with pomegranate molasses and some raw minced garlic.)

Roasted Garlic
Get a whole head of garlic. Slice off the top, so the cloves are exposed. Rub the top with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cloves are soft and golden.

Roasted Squash
De-stem and slice your squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place face-down in a dish with about 1/4 inches of water in the bottom. Bake until soft (start at 30 minutes and go from there).

Vegan Chocolate Stout Cheesecake

2010-09-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

I winged this recipe when a quick Google didn't turn up anything, and yes. This wins.

2 8-oz tubs vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tsp powdered egg replacer (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
2 Tbsp molasses
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan stout
1/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (optional)

1 pre-made Oreo or graham cracker crust

Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and pour into prepared crust. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, then let cool before serving.

Ingredient Notes: I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese and Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout (check other stout brands here), which I picked up at the Hy-Vee Drugstore at 42nd & University. If you can't find vegan chocolate chips, you can always chop up a vegan chocolate bar and use that instead.

Curried Ginger Acorn Squash w/ Apple Stuffing

2010-09-12T18:15:00.001-07:00

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 apples - chopped
2 onions - diced
3-4 garlic cloves - minced
1 handful dried apricots
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, curry powder, turmeric and garam masala
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 bottle real ginger ale
2 acorn squash - seeded and cut into rings

Saute the apples and onions until tender. Add garlic, apricots, salt, spices and nuts and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Place the squash rings in a baking dish. Spoon the filling into the center of the squash rings. Pour the ginger ale around the squash rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until tender.

Blueberry-Pear Ginger Cobbler

2010-08-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

2 cups blueberries
1 ripe pear, diced
1 ripe nectarine, diced
3-4 Tbsp agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup)
1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/3 cup canola oil
1 8 oz container vanilla soy yogurt
1 cup flour
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
a few dashes ground ginger & cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the fruit together and spread in the bottom of a pie dish. Top with the liquid sweetener and the ground ginger.

Whisk the soy yogurt and the oil together. Add the flour, sugar and salt and stir gently until a thick batter is formed. Drop the batter by spoonfuls over the fruit until the fruit is mostly covered. Sprinkle a little ginger and cinnamon on top.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Zucchini Patties w/ Tomato-Corn Relish (Redux)

2010-07-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, I used up two zucchini, a handful of baby onions and a crapload of tomatoes with the Zucchini Patties w/ Tomato-Corn Relish. I ended up adding an egg white (from the lovely free-range chickens at Blue Gate Farm) to the patties to help them stay together. Delish.

Veganized Chocolate Eclair 'Cake'

2010-07-27T07:27:00.001-07:00

This is a mostly veganized version of a recipe a friend made at a party this weekend. The only non-vegan elements remaining are honey in the graham crackers and milkfat in the standard chocolate chips I bought at Hy-Vee. If you hunted a little harder for vegan versions of these two ingredients (according to Accidentally Vegan, Nabisco original graham crackers are vegan, and you could chop up vegan dark chocolate bars to sub for the chocolate chips), it'd be totally sinless.

1 package graham crackers

2 packages vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix
2 cups cold vanilla soy/rice milk
1 tub ricemellow creme (or vegan whipped topping)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped sweetened dark chocolate)
2 Tbsp margarine
1/4 cup soy/rice milk

Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk the pudding mix and milk together and let sit for 5 minutes to set. Fold in the ricemellow creme.

Spread one half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Top with more graham crackers, followed by the rest of the pudding. Top this with graham crackers, too.

Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips, either in the microwave (30-second bursts, stirring after each one) or in a double boiler (I use a stainless mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water). Add the margarine and soy milk and stir until very smooth. Pour the chocolatey goodness over the graham crackers and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Spicy Black Bean Chorizo Stew

2010-07-18T19:16:00.001-07:00

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 Spicy Pinto Bean Sausages, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each chili powder, cumin & unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 cans black beans, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes w/ chilis, undrained
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Using clean hands, crumble the sausage with your hands until it resembles ground beef. Mix with the diced onion, spices and salt. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and add the onion-sausage mixture. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the liquid from the tomatoes and stir to scrape up any spices that have stuck to the bottom. Transfer the whole shebang into a crock pot. Add the black beans, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and liquid smoke. Cook on low for eight hours.

Farmer's Market Spanakopita

2010-07-18T19:05:00.001-07:00

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 bunches swiss chard or kale: de-stemmed
1 medium leek: chopped finely
3 garlic cloves: minced
2 handfuls fresh herbs: chopped (dill, basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme)
1 container lemon basil Northern Prairie Chevre
2/3 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Saute the greens and leek for 5 minutes, until dark green and wilted. Chop the cooked greens finely. Spread in the bottom of a baking dish. Add garlic, herbs and chevre and mix well. Top with the puff pastry, smearing the top with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes.

Note: You can use the rest of the puff pastry for a quick dessert. Simply smear the remaining third with jam and/or chocolate, roll it up and bake for 15 minutes or so. (I used dark chocolate spread and black raspberry jam.)

Mustardy Roasted Green Beans & Potatoes

2010-07-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

Easy, tasty and made almost entirely from in-season veggies at the Des Moines farmer's market. Green beans and mushrooms are both sources of protein, so I've been eating this as a main dish for days now.

1 pound green beans, trimmed and halved
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into thin half-moons
4-5 baby onions, quartered
4 oz. oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-sized pieces
3 Tbsp whole grain or dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the green beans, potato slices, onions & mushrooms in a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk the mustard, olive oil and soy sauce together until smooth. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

A Solution for Subsidized Corn - Compostable Plastic Cups

2010-07-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

photo by Majiscup

I stopped by the new location of The Village Bean in the East Village yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised to see them using compostable plastic cups for their cold to-go beverages. Which made me think... we've got a huge surplus of corn, which is why there's so much high fructose corn syrup and corn-based ethanol. So why not divert it into corn-based plastic?

I'd be thrilled to be able to throw my chai cups into my compost heap.

Gingery Mint Iced Tea

2010-07-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

I came up with this recipe when my boy started begging me to find a way to get rid of the mint that's taking over his office. I'm normally not a fan of mint in tea, but this is refreshing and a little sweet, with just a bit of bite from the ginger.

3 black or green tea bags
1.5 quarts boiling water
3-5 longish sprigs of fresh mint
1 ginger tea packet OR 2 Tbsp candied ginger

Put the tea bags, fresh mint (I think it's easier to leave the mint leaves on the stalk) and contents of ginger packet in the bottom of a pitcher or large jar. Pour the boiling water into the vessel and let cool. Serve iced or refrigerated.

Ingredient Notes: You can get instant sweet ginger tea packets at just about any Asian market. You could leave it out, but I really like the bite of the ginger combined with the mint.

Kale-Mushroom-Sundried Tomato-Sausage Quiche

2010-07-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

1 can biscuit dough (Hy-Vee's Texas biscuits are vegan)
4 eggs (or 1 batch Vegan Brunch omelette mix)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup kale, destemmed and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. oyster mushrooms
2 handfuls sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 Morningstar Farms sausage patties, chopped
1 handful fresh basil & oregano (or other fresh herbs)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a pie plate. Press the biscuit dough into the pie plate until the bottom and sides are covered in a thin layer of dough.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic, kale and mushrooms for 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is dark green and tender. Mix in the tomatoes, fresh herbs and sausage chunks and spread evenly over the biscuit dough.

Whisk the eggs together until yolks and whites are incorporated. Season with a dash each of salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set.

Artichoke-Kale-White Bean Dip With Roasted Garlic

2010-07-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

Based on this recipe from Grow. Cook. Eat.

1 8-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 cup kale
1/2 cup fresh herbs (I used basil, oregano and tarragon)
1 cup navy beans, pureed
1 head roasted garlic, mashed
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 tsp white miso (optional)

Sautee the kale in a little olive oil until wilted (about 5 minutes). Chop the artichoke hearts, cooked kale and fresh herbs very finely and mix together. Mash/puree the beans and roasted garlic and add to the artichoke mixture along with the olive oil, lemon juice and miso. Use a stick blender to smooth the texture out, if desired. Adjust seasonings to taste. It's ready to eat now, but if you want, you can warm it in the oven or the microwave before serving.

Serve with chips, toasted bread or raw veggies for dipping.

Asparagus Dill Quiche

2010-06-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not completely vegan. I eat mostly vegan, but I make exceptions, particularly for locally and sustainably raised animal products. If you want to make this vegan, just replace the eggs and cheese with the tofu omelet mixture from Vegan Brunch and Daiya cheese.

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and diced
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
4 eggs
3 Tbsp grated cheese (optional)
1 package crescent rolls
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs until yolks and whites are incorporated. Add cheese and salt and pepper. Unroll the crescent roll dough and press into the bottom of a greased pie plate. Spread the asparagus, dill, and onions in the pie plate. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Potato & Pinto Bean Tacos w/ Blueberry-Nectarine Salad

2010-06-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my helpful neighbor Howard's tortilla press, I was able to make my own tortillas for this recipe. I'm not crazy about corn tortillas unless they're homemade or toasted. I made just about everything in this meal from scratch, but of course you could use canned beans, hash browns, jarred salsa and pre-made tortillas to save time.

Taco Filling:
2 tsp olive oil
3 green onions, minced
2 cups diced potatoes
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis
3 cups pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and onions and cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender. Add everything else, lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until the potatoes are practically falling apart.

Fresh Salsa:
2-3 cups diced tomatoes
a handful of cilantro
1 tsp lime juice
a generous sprinkling of sea salt

Combine. Let sit at room temperature while everything else cooks.

Homemade Tortillas:
2 cups masa harina
1-1/3 cups warm water (I used a little of the bean cooking liquid)

Mix the masa with the water to form dough. Divide into 12 equal parts and roll each part into a ball with wet hands. Preheat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Line the tortilla press with a Ziploc bag with the sides cut out. Squish the dough ball into a disk and place between the Ziploc flaps, then press. Peel the pressed tortilla gently off the Ziploc. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute on each side. Cover the cooked tortillas until ready to eat. Repeat with all the remaining dough balls, dusting the Ziploc with masa in between pressings.

To assemble the tacos:
Tortilla + potato/bean mixture + salsa + diced avocado

Blueberry-Nectarine Salad
Chop up nectarines. Mix them with blueberries. Serve. :P

Ingredient Notes: I found my masa harina in the baking aisle at the Franklin Dahl's. Pressing the tortillas is a pretty tricky art. I find they're harder to get off the Ziploc if you press them too thinly. (I've also tried wax paper and plastic wrap, and nothing works quite as well as the Ziploc.) If you don't have a tortilla press, you can always put the dough in the Ziploc, put it on the floor, put a skillet (or book) on top of that, and stand on it.

Lower-Fat Banana Muffins

2010-06-21T10:31:00.001-07:00

This is my adaptation of the recipe from Veganomicon, made solely because I had three overripe bananas attracting fruit flies. These are delicious, moist and rich. They don't taste healthy at all.

3 overripe bananas
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp molasses (I used sorghum)
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup pastry flour + 1 cup spelt flour)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Grease muffin cups and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mash the bananas really well. Add the sugar, oil and molasses and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the dry to the wet and stir very gently, just until combined. Spoon into muffin cups (mine were about 3/4 full) and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Spicy Chickpea Tomato Pasta

2010-06-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

A quick and very tasty pasta dish.

1/2 box thin spaghetti
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 can chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Tbsp sundried tomato pesto

Boil salted water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, chipotle and pesto and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until heated through. Toss with the pasta and serve.

Kale Chips

2010-06-20T21:15:00.001-07:00

I made these last night, and they were AMAZING. Kind of like salt-n-vinegar chips. Crispy and salty and NOM.

1 bunch kale, leaves de-stemmed, washed and dried
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp lime juice (or lemon juice or balsamic vinegar)
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk the oil, lime juice and salt together and coat the kale evenly. Spread the kale on baking sheets and bake for 7-15 minutes, or until the leaves are crispy and break easily. (Mine only took 7-8 minutes, but the original recipe called for 12-14, so who knows?)

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

2010-06-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is adapted from Vegan With a Vengeance and my previous recipe, but it's highly, highly adaptable. It's a good source of protein and iron, and it you whip up a batch at the beginning of the week, you'll have easy, cheap lunches.

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp mayo
1 tsp whole grain mustard
2-3 Tbsp pickle relish (to taste)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 green onion, minced
1 Tbsp shredded seaweed (nori, dulse or hijiki)
a pinch of black salt (optional, gives it an 'eggy' flavor)

Mash the chickpeas. Mix everything else in and adjust seasonings to taste. Spread on toasted whole wheat bread.

Ingredient notes: Seaweed can be super-expensive at health food stores, but it's cheap at Asian markets (like Double Dragon on 2nd Ave). You can used steamed tempeh or any other white beans in place of the chickpeas... the chickpeas are just a little firmer, so they hold up better in this salad. I found my black salt (which is actually pink) at Namaste Indian Grocery, at 77th and University.

On the whys and hows of vegetarianism in Des Moines

2010-05-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying the conversation over at Locally Grown about Des Moines' vegetarian options. In a recent comment thread, InthewaterDSM expressed dismay at encountering preachy vegans and asked why people become vegetarians.

This was my response:

I agree completely that preachy vegans can be just as annoying as any other sort of evangelist. I don’t believe in bashing other people for their lifestyle choices.

I originally went vegetarian just to see if I could. Giving up something deliberately in our culture of excess seemed like a worthy experiment.

As for why I stuck with it, I’ve got several reasons: my health (a plant-based diet allows me to forgo cholesterol medication), concerns about large-scale animal-based industry and environmental impact, and yes, even some ethical reasons. But primarily? I like the way it tastes. Vegetarian food at its finest is interesting, diverse and damn tasty.

I think there’s an absolutely valid case to be made for almost anyone to *reduce* their consumption of animal products. If someone asks me (as you’ve done), I’ll tell them why I do it. But I have no interest in making converts. I think people should be aware of where their food comes from, how it impacts the world around them, and then eat what sits best with their body, mouth and conscience.

I like eating plants, therefore I do. I don’t miss meat. I’m healthy and happy. Others may eat what they like; it doesn’t affect me and my choices.

Asparagus Pesto Pizza

2010-05-19T18:48:00.001-07:00

This was delicious, and so easy. NOM.

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into half-inch lengths
4 oz. oyster mushrooms, cut into smallish pieces
1 handful capers (optional)
1/4 cup pesto
1 batch pizza dough
cornmeal for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 450. Sprinkle cornmeal on your pizza stone. Stretch out the dough and lay it on the stone. Toss the asparagus and mushrooms with half the pesto. Spread the other half evenly over your dough, leaving about a half-inch border all the way around. Top with asparagus, mushrooms and capers.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Note: I got my pesto and my pizza dough at Gateway Market, because I am too lazy to make my own. (Hint: if you ask the guys behind the meat counter for pesto, they will go get it for you from the kitchen.)

Roasted Asparagus, Spring Garlic and Oyster Mushrooms

2010-05-10T06:33:00.001-07:00

Simple and delicious. Made completely with local ingredients from the Des Moines farmer's market.

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, chopped into 3-inch pieces
8 oz. oyster mushrooms, torn into chunks
1 bulb spring garlic, chopped
a drizzle each of olive oil & balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients and roast for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

OMG Gardein Seven Grain Cripsy Tenders

2010-05-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

I'll confess... one of the things I've missed about occasional carnivorousness is chicken tenders. So I was curious when I saw the Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders in the frozen section at Campbell's.

I just baked some up (24 minutes at 430 degrees) and dipped them in spring roll sweet chili sauce, and wow. I'm a believer. It's almost creepy how good they are.

Butternut Squash, Chorizo and Polenta

2010-04-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 package polenta, cubed
2 veggie chorizo sausages, diced
2 Tbsp fresh salsa
olive oil

Roast the butternut squash cubes for 25 minutes, or until tender. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a pan and pan-fry the polenta cubes over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until browned. Repeat the process in a different pan with the chorizo. Once everything is ready, add the chorizo and the squash to the polenta, add salsa and stir. Eat hot.

Notes: I used the chorizo recipe from Vegan Brunch, with dark kidney beans, a chipotle pepper in adobo and some fennel. The polenta was homemade, too, and it came out a little mushy, but the flavors in this more than make up for it.

Amazing Vegan Butternut-Polenta Lasagna

2010-04-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is a remix of this recipe, made almost entirely with freezer staples and a few assists from the lovely folks at Gateway Market.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
8 oz. frozen chopped greens
8 oz. sliced mushrooms

Prep: heat the olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms and greens and saute for 5-10 minutes, or until wilty and darkened.

2 cups pureed butternut squash
1-2 dashes nutmeg

Prep: mix squash puree with nutmeg and 2-3 Tbsp of the vegan white sauce (recipe follows).

1 block silken tofu
1 4-oz. container vegan pesto (or sachet of dry pesto mix)

Prep: Mash tofu. Add pesto. Stir.

1 block polenta
marinara sauce

Prep: Slice the polenta very thinly (these will be your 'noodles.' You can, of course, use no-boil lasagna noodles as well).

Vegan white sauce:
--------------------
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tsp veggie bouillon powder
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Prep: Blend.

Assemble the lasagna. I generally like to keep the reddish-orange stuff together and the greenish stuff together, so you might do something like this:

polenta 'noodles'
marinara
squash puree
polenta 'noodles'
tofu-pesto mash
greens & mushrooms
white sauce

Repeat this pattern as often as necessary. Top with marinara and a drizzle of the white sauce. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Curried Tempeh-Seaweed Salad Sandwiches

2010-04-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for this comes from the Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches from Vegan with a Vengeance, but tweaked to fit the ingredients I had on hand. Delish.

1 package tempeh, steamed
1/2 cup shredded carrot
2-3 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp dried hijiki
1 Tbsp dulse flakes (optional)
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp wasabi paste (optional, but tasty!)
2-3 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
3 Tbsp vegan mayo (recipe below)

Cover the hijiki in boiling water for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Using your fingers, crumble the tempeh. Mix everything together. Refrigerate for a bit if desired. Otherwise, smear on bread and nom!

Note: I steam the tempeh right in its package. You could also microwave for a few minutes it to achieve the same effect.

***

Vegan Mayo
-------------

1 cup silken tofu
1 clove garlic, grated or very finely minced
1/4 tsp black salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp capers (optional, but tasty!)

Blend together until very smooth.

***

Ingredient notes: Dried hijiki is a black, slightly fishy-tasting seaweed. I forget where I got mine, but Campbell's and/or Double Dragon are pretty good bets. The dulse flakes also have a slight fishy flavor. I got mine in the bulk section at Campbell's. Black salt (which, confusingly, is pink) can be found at Namaste Indian grocery. It imparts an uncannilyre eggy taste to the mayo.

Peanut BBQ Tofu; Orangey Roasted Squash & Sweet Potatoes; Kale & Black-Eyed Peas

2010-03-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Peanut BBQ Tofu

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp curry powder
1-2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
1 lb. extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and whisk until incorporated. Smear the tofu slices on all sides and marinate for at least 20 minutes (overnight is best).

Lay the slices in a baking dish, smear with any extra sauce and bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

***

Orangey Roasted Squash & Sweet Potatoes

1 largish sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
salt & pepper to taste
a drizzle of olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp agave nectar

Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the squash chunks are fork-tender. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

***

Kale & Black-Eyed Peas

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp Cajun/Creole seasoning
a dash of liquid smoke (optional)
2-3 cups finely chopped frozen kale (or 1 bunch fresh)
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
2 Tbsp salsa
1/4 cup water

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the liquid smoke and Cajun seasoning, followed by the kale. Cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the black-eyed peas and salsa and stir well. Add the water, cover, and cook on medium-low for 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crack Cookies

2010-03-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

These are dead simple, completely addictive, and they satisfy my junk food cravings like nothing else. Sweet-tooth alert: these are super-sweet, so be warned. This is no namby-pamby dessert. It charges onto your tastebuds with sugar guns blazing.

1/2 cup liquid sweeter (agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup chocolate chips
4-5 cups cereal (I used Corn Chex, but Special K or Rice Krispies would work, too)

Combine the sugar and liquid sweetener in a stovetop pan and heat until it bubbles and froths. Remove from heat, mix in the peanut butter and chocolate and stir until incorporated. Add the cereal and stir to coat. Press into a greased pan and stick in the fridge until cooled. Nom with great abandon!

African Beans and Greens

2010-02-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

This was my attempt at recreating a favorite dish from a African restaurant that closed around these parts a few years ago. I served these with the Cornmeal Biscuits from Vegan Brunch. Delish.

2 cans black eyed peas, drained
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, with juice
1 veg bouillon cube
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup frozen collard greens
a few shakes liquid smoke
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp each onion and garlic powder

Throw all ingredients into a crock pot or pressure cooker and cook until greens are very tender.

Falafel Loaf

2010-02-15T17:50:00.001-08:00

So I had all these frozen falafel balls that I didn't really care for, but I felt awful about throwing them out. So I mashed them all up, threw in some onion & garlic powder, about half a cup of hummus, 1/4 cup wheat gluten and a few handfuls of chopped kalamata olives. Pressed it all tightly into an oiled loaf pan and baked it for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

I serve it topped with more hummus, and you know what? It's lots, lots better than the original ingredients ever were separately. I guess that's what you call cooking, huh?ve

Instant Vegan Chocolate Pudding

2010-01-27T13:43:00.001-08:00

I am eating this right now. It is delicious.

1 package silken tofu
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-fruit jam (I like raspberry)
a splash or two of vanilla soy milk
agave nectar/sugar to taste

Combine all ingredients, blend (with a stick blender or in a normal blender), adjust sweetener to taste and enjoy.

Vegan Brownies

2010-01-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

This recipe is adapted from Peter Berley's The Modern Vegetarian, and it works like a charm.

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sweetened hot cocoa mix (I use Ghiradelli)
1 cup unbleached or pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a medium baking dish (I find Earth Balance works well).

Combine the canola oil, maple syrup, soy milk and vanilla, mixing until creamy. In a different bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir very gently just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the greased dish and bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Crock-Pot Tomato Bean Minestrone

2010-01-06T15:41:00.001-08:00

1 vegetable bouillon cube
2 cans beans, drained (I used kidney and Great Northern)
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup frozen corn (optional)
2 cups diced potatoes (I used leftover roasted potatoes and onions)
1 cup cooked pasta
2 cups water

Combine in a crockpot and cook on low for 4-8 hours. (You could also combine in a pot and cook on low until heated through.)

Butternut Squash, Kale & Mushroom Pasta Bake w/ Coconut Bechamel

2010-01-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

This post by A Hungry Bear Won't Dance was the inspiration for the dish. It sounded delicious, and she even said you could veganize it by leaving out the bechamel and cheese, but I thought a coconut bechamel might be just as delicious and decadent. This recipe takes a little bit to put together, but it's so, so worth it.

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

Arrange the cubes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the cubes can be easily pierced with a fork.

1 lb. medium shells
a lot of water
1/4 tsp salt

Bring the salted water to a boil. Add the shells and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the pasta.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 smallish yellow onion, diced
1 bunch kale, leaves de-stemmed and chopped
2-3 cups sliced crimini or shiitake mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cannellini or navy beans, drained
a splash of white wine (optional)
a dash of salt

Heat the olive oil. Add the onion, kale and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the kale is dark green and wilty. Add the tomatoes, beans, white wine and salt and cook on low until heated through.

1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Blend the coconut milk, cashews, miso, nutritional yeast and nutmeg for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Combine the squash, sauteed vegetables and drained pasta in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour the coconut bechamel over everything. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired (I used a little of Milton Creamery's amazing Prairie Breeze), then cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. (If not using the cheese, you can just combine everything in a large pot and heat through. Gets it on the table faster. :)

Vegan Cranberry Upside Down Cake

2009-12-25T17:03:00.000-08:00

This is a family recipe, and it never fails to make a good impression. It's all kinds of gooey and tart and sweet. Mm.

1 pound cranberries
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup melted Earth Balance margarine (or canola oil + 1/4 tsp salt)
1 6-oz. container vanilla soy yogurt
1 cup flour

Spread the cranberries in the bottom of a well-oiled pie dish. Top with 1/2 cup sugar and chopped nuts.

Mix the remaining 1 cup of sugar with the margarine and the soy yogurt. Add the flour, mixing just until incorporated. Pour the batter over the cranberries and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

A Mostly Vegan Christmas (or Fun With Puff Pastry)

2009-12-25T16:52:00.000-08:00

We hosted a holiday party last night, and so I did what came naturally... smeared stuff on store-bought puff pastry and baked it. Nom nom nom.

Asparagus Tart

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbsp stone-ground mustard
1/2 pkg powdered pesto mix (or 1/4 c pesto)
1/4 cup hummus
1/2 bunch asparagus spears
olive oil, salt and pepper

Spread the mustard over the puff pastry, leaving about a half inch on all sides. Top that with pesto, followed by hummus. Trim the asparagus spears and lay them on top of the hummus. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold in the edges of the tart, and bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

***

Death by Raspberry Chocolate Roll

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup dark chocolate peanut butter spread (or nutella, optional)
1/4 cup raspberry jam
2 handfuls mini chocolate chips
raw sugar for sprinkling

Oil a baking pan well. Sprinkle your working surface with raw sugar. Place the puff pastry on top. Spread the dark chocolate spread on top, followed by the raspberry jam. Sprinkle generously with chocolate chips. Roll up lengthwise, then place in baking dish. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

***

Easy Spanakopita

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 pounds baby spinach
1/2 bunch asparagus, diced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, minced
1/2 pkg powdered pesto mix (or 1/4 cup pesto)
1 cup cheese curds OR 1/4 cup hummus
1/4 cup diced artichoke hearts (optional)

Steam/microwave the spinach until dark green and wilted. Mix with the diced asparagus, olives, pesto and cheese curds (or hummus and artichoke hearts). Top with puff pastry and bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Cheezy Vegan Hash Brown Casserole

2009-12-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

1 batch Hurry Up Vegan Alfredo Sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1/3 cup hummus
12 oz. frozen hash browns
1 cup frozen peas (or shelled edamame)
1 cup french fried onions

Blend up the ingredients for the alfredo sauce for 1-2 minutes, or until very smooth, adding the curry powder and hummus at the end. Mix the sauce with the hash browns and peas in a well-oiled casserole dish. Top with french fried onions and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Hurry-Up Vegan Alfredo Broccoli Pasta

2009-11-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

I needed something that was quick and easy, and this fit the bill. Damn simple. Adapted from VeganYumYum.

1 cup plain soy milk
1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp white miso + 1 Tbsp caper brine + 1 tsp salt (the original called for 3 Tbsp soy sauce, but I didn't have any)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
1 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp stone-ground mustard
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)
a handful of basil leaves (optional)

1 head broccoli, chopped

Cook whatever pasta you desire (I used a mixture of small shells and fettucine) in salted water. Steam or microwave the broccoli until tender, and then chop into small bits. Blend all the sauce ingredients in a blender for 2-3 minutes, or until very smooth. Return the drained pasta to the pot with the broccoli and sauce and stir until heated through. Top with black pepper and serve immediately.

Vegan BBQ Ribs

2009-11-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

A quick and easy protein fix. Adapted from the original recipe at Fat Free Vegan.

1 cup + 2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon paprika (smoked or otherwise)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (or peanut sauce, or tahini)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
a whole lot of barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the wheat gluten, paprika, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, add the water to the peanut butter bit by bit until it's smoothly incorporated (or use a stick blender to do it fast). Add the liquid smoke and the soy sauce (if using) and mix well.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix well. Knead for a few minutes, then press into a lightly oiled baking dish until it's 1/2 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips roughly 3/4-inch wide.

Bake for 20 minutes. Paint the top side generously with BBQ sauce. Bake for 5 minutes. Flip, paint with BBQ and bake for 5 more minutes.

Serve slathered with extra BBQ.

Roasted Potatoes & Sausage

2009-10-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

Couldn't be easier. Just chop, toss, bake and eat.

4-6 cups various potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or smaller
2 Tofurkey Italian Sausages, chopped (or homemade pinto bean sausages)
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
hefty sprinkle of salt & pepper
3 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp stone-ground mustard

Combine everything in a covered oven-safe dish (I used my cast-iron Dutch oven) or a foil packet. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and serve.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

2009-10-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

This is a thick, spicy, creamy soup. Perfect for fall evenings.

1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each chili powder & garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
2/3 c apple cider
4 cups cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup chickpeas (optional)
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp peanut butter (optional)
1 cup plain soy milk

Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the spices and salt and cook for another minute. Add the cider and pumpkin, lime juice and chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes or so. Lower heat to low. Stir in the peanut butter and soy milk and stir just until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like. I sometimes add applesauce, agave nectar, orange juice, etc. to balance out the sweet and tart tastes.

Sweet Chili Tofu & Roasted Broccoli

2009-10-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

1 block super-firm tofu (I use Wildwood's High-Protein), cut into 1/4-inch-thick triangles
1 cup sweet chili sauce
a drizzle of roasted sesame oil
a hefty sprinkle of salt
1 handful sesame seeds (optional)

Lay the tofu triangles in a baking dish and put everything else on top. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Put the whole shebang in the oven at 400 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

1 head broccoli
hefty drizzle of olive oil
hefty sprinkle of salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a covered oven-safe dish (or a foil packet) and put in the oven with the tofu. Cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.

Vegan MoFo Survey

2009-10-09T09:06:00.001-07:00

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
I'm a big fan of hemp milk, but it's so expensive that I usually end up with vanilla Silk soy. If I weren't so lazy, I'd make my own more often.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Pumpkin curry soup, sweet chili tofu w/ roasted broccoli and the Veganomicon chickpea patties.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Chipotle Tobasco and sugar.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
There have only been a few things that were so awful we literally could not eat them. I've blackened the bottoms of things a few times.

5. Favorite pickled item?
I heart pickles so much. Picking a favorite is really difficult. I like spicy garlic dills, and chow chow, and those little tiny bumpy pickles.... mmm.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
It's a hodge-podge of e-mails, text files, Google Reader favorites, our own custom database, and cookbooks.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
All three, but the garbage disposal much less than the other two.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods… what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?
Avocado, peanut sauce and tamarind.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
My mom would make angel food cake and order in pizza on my birthday. I loved both of those things, and we never had them any other time.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Purely Decadent’s Cookie Dough, bar none.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
My stick blender is the most amazing accessory ever.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Fresh basil.

13. cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
The Better Homes and Gardens plaid book. It was always in our house growing up.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Strawberry-rhubarb, though I'm enjoying the chipotle and basil flavored jellies we got this year. Ooh, and garlic jelly is divine.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
My vegan sticky buns are legendary. The boy loves to serve tofu & gluten w/ tomatoes on soba. It's totally out there for omnis but oh so delicious.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Seitan. Love it love it.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Like most everything else, I prefer to cook in the afternoon, when I have the most energy.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Cabinets!

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Pumpkin, sweet corn and bananas.

20. What’s on your grocery list?
I very rarely make lists unless I have specific recipes in mind. That said, we are dangerously low on salsa and canned beans.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Gateway Market in Sherman Hill.

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.
Popeye's chicken strips. Fried spicy crunchy deliciousness.

23. Food blog you read the most. Or maybe the top 3?
Slashfood, Yeah, That Vegan Shit, Post Punk Kitchen

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
I'm totally addicted to vegetarian gummi bears.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
Hmm... I buy my food pretty cheap, but I splurge on wine and fancy jellies.

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
Corn smut.

2009-10-06T08:47:00.001-07:00

This photo inspires me. I’ve been doing a lot of cooking once a week lately… it saves my sanity and makes sure my ravenous boy has things to snack on. I’ve been seriously thinking about a batch of Veganomicon chickpea patties lately. I could freeze them and have them for quick dinners throughout the week.

I also have to confess that lately, I’ve been really craving the PPK’s pinto bean sausages. I sense a day of cooking in my future….

via Cookin’ For The Weekend at Don’t Eat Off The Sidewalk!