Tuesday, August 31, 2010

{HOT PASTA}

This recipe comes from Mom's good friend.  We call it "Tammy's Hot Pasta."

16 oz. whole wheat rigatoni noodles
3 cans stewed tomatoes, blended to desired chunkiness
1/4 to 1/2 c. vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast)
3 small cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1/8 to 1/4 t. crushed red pepper
olives (optional)


• Prepare noodles, drain, rinse, and set aside.
• Saute garlic, parsley, crushed red pepper in water.
• Toss all ingredients together.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

{VEGAN WHIPPED CREAM}

This stuff is delicious!!  Mom shared this little secret with us last week, and I made gingerbread cake today just so we could have something to try it on.

1 can Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk
1/4 c. powdered evaporated cane juice (or agave nectar or other sweetener)
1 T. corn starch
1 t. vanilla

  • Chill the coconut milk in the fridge overnight.


  • Chill a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 1 hour.




  • Pierce the bottom of the coconut milk can to allow coconut water/liquid to drain.




  • Open top of can, and scoop hardened coconut fat into chilled mixing bowl.




  • Mix with chilled electric beaters until broken up and starting to smooth.




  • Add powdered sugar, corn starch, and vanilla.




  • Whip with beaters until resembles consistency of whipped cream.  If the coconut milk was set up, the texture should quickly become very much like whipped cream.  If it was a bit (or a lot) runny, it'll take longer.




*Watch a how-to video here.



Monday, August 16, 2010

{BREAKFAST BARS}

I found these on everwell.com and changed them just a bit to be vegan. We all really liked them and they were easy to send to school for a lunch treat. I think I'll do some experimenting with different kinds of dried fruit (we used raisins, but I'd like to try apricots or cranberries).

Makes 16 (small) Bars

1 cup Oats
1 cup Shredded Wheat Cereal
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups dried fruit
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (1 T. egg replacer + 1/4 c. water)
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.
  • Place the oats, shredded wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the egg replacer, honey, and vanilla. Add the oatmeal mixture and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
  • Transfer to the baking pan and flatten down gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to spread evenly.
  • Bake about 18 minutes until the edges turn golden brown and the bars are done. Let bars cool completely in pan before slicing and serving.
* These bars freeze well so if you have leftovers, you can wrap individual portions in plastic baggies or aluminum foil and freeze.

* These tasted just a bit honeyish to me, but I don't know if that's because the Shredded Wheat I used was honey sweetened too. I might try agave nectar next time and see if they still hold together as well.

Friday, August 13, 2010

{CANDIED YAMS}

7 medium sized yams/ sweet potatoes
6 2-inch strips orange zest, white, spongy pith removed
4 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
2/3 c. pure maple syrup
1 T. light sesame oil (or olive oil)
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 t. peeled and finely chopped ginger root
1/2 t. course sea salt


  • preheat oven to 375
  • peel and halve the yams crosswise, cut each half lengthwise into 4 wedges
  • place the yams in a baking dish that will hold them snug in a single layer
  • tuck the orange zest and cinnamon sticks amongst the yams
  • in a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, maple syrup, oil, lemon juice, ginger, and salt.
  • pour the mixture over the yams
  • bake for 1 hr 15 min, basting every 15 min, until the yams are tender and glazed and the pan juices are syrupy
  • remove the orange zest and cinnamon sticks before serving

{THREE BEAN SALAD}

Salad

2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. cans cut green beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. finely chopped onions
1 c. chopped green, red, orange or yellow peppers

Dressing

1/2 c. blended white beans (or stir 2 T. white bean flour into 1/2 c. water, heat and stir until
thickened) or (3/4 cup water total w/ 2 heaping T. of white bean flour)
2/3 c. vinegar (I use 1/3 part balsamic, 2/3 part apple cider vinegar-white vinegar is ok too)
1 1/2 t. veggie chicken broth powder or (veggie broth paste-Better than Boullion)
1/4 c. water
2 T. sucanat and 1/8 t. Stevia (or a total of 1/4 c. sweetener) (I like 1/4 t. Stevia)
1/4 t. celery seed
1 t. minced garlic

*This is a double recipe that stores well in the fridge.

{INDIAN FRESH FRUIT SALAD}

Fruit Salad Sauce

Blend these ingredients:

1 pkg. (12.3 oz.) Mori-nu silken Lite Tofu (soft is best)
1/4 c. pineapple juice
2 T. maple syrup of brown rice syrup
1/2 t. fresh ginger, peeled & grated
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cinnamon

Fruit

2 c. sliced strawberries
2 peeled and diced mangoes
1 small sweet pineapple (1 1/2 c.)
2-3 sliced large bananas

*optional- 1 handful blueberries, 2 peeled and diced kiwis
  • Pour the sauce over the sliced fruit and enjoy!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

{CRUNCHY BANANA/APPLE MUFFINS}

2 c. mashed bananas (or applesauce)
3/4 c. applesauce
2 c. soy milk
2 T. egg substitute whisked into 1/2 c. water
1 c. honey
1 1/2 t. baking soda
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
4 c. whole wheat flour
3 c. oats
  • Mix everything but the flour and oats just to blend. Don't overmix.
  • Add flour and mix slightly.
  • Add oats and mix slightly.
  • Fill greased/sprayed muffin tins 3/4 full.
  • Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.
  • Makes 3 dozen muffins.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

{HOT CHOCOLATE}

4 c. plain/vanilla soy milk, or rice milk
1/4 t. stevia
2T. cocoa
1/8-1/2 t. vanilla (1/8 t. if using vanilla soy milk)

  • The easiest way to heat this is in a blender, but you can also just use a saucepan.

Monday, August 9, 2010

{CHILI "CHEESE" FRIES}

This is another recipe that's not really a recipe, but it's one I really enjoy and do a lot.

Potatoes, sliced in wedges and baked with a little bit of cooking spray and salt
Chili beans (pinto beans in a can with chili sauce)
“cheese” sauce (recipe below)
Avocados, diced
Green onions, diced


• Slice the potatoes into thin wedges and bake them until golden and slightly crispy (or use frozen “Simply Potatoes” brand of fries).
• Top potatoes with heated chili beans and then drizzle with “cheese” sauce and top with avocados and green onions.

"CHEESE" SAUCE

1 c. water
⅓ c. nutritional yeast
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. flour
1 T. miso
1 t. lemon juice
¼ t. salt
¼ t. garlic powder
¼ t. paprika

¾ c. soy milk


• Place all ingredients, except soy milk, into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan and stir over medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken.
• Whisk in the soy milk and remove from heat.

{TOSTADAS}

(I discovered using large pieces of lettuce as "lids" works well.)
I don't really have an official recipe for these, but they are my husband's favorite meal. He's picky and doesn't like eating the same meal over and over again, but this is one he says he could eat every other day and be happy.

corn tortillas
cooking spray
salt
refried beans
nutritional yeast
mild salsa
taco seasoning
lettuce
tomatoes
avocados
olives
corn
Mexican or cilantro lime rice

• Preheat oven to 425. Spread 6 corn tortillas on a cookie sheet. Lightly spray them with cooking spray and then sprinkle with salt (you can omit the cooking spray and the salt if you’d like). Bake at 425 for 12 minutes, until golden and crispy.
• Mix one can of refried beans with about ¼ c. nutritional yeast, ½ c. mild salsa, and ½ T. taco seasoning. Heat in the microwave, stopping to stir every minute or two.
• Top tostadas with a thin layer of the bean mixture and any other topping you’d like. We usually do the toppings I listed above.

{PIZZA VARIATIONS}

I've done some experimenting with pizza, using Bekah's crust and sauce from the Roasted Garlic Broccoli Pizza. I wish I had pictures of all of these, but if I waited for that, they'd never get posted.

Here are the ones we've loved the most. With all of these, I just use the same crust and sauce recipe in the link above - the only variation is in the toppings, so I'll just list the toppings here along with any necessary instructions.

HAWAIIAN BARBECUE PIZZA
roasted garlic sauce
barbecue sauce
soy chicken strips, grilled (or baked bbq tofu*)
fresh pineapple, roasted
red onions
jalapenos (be careful)
fresh cilantro


• Lightly spread the pizza with barbecue sauce, right over the roasted garlic sauce (I use a little less garlic sauce than I otherwise would have and spread the barbecue sauce very lightly).
• Grill soy chicken strips, using cooking spray.
• Slice the fresh pineapple into 2-inch chunks. Thread the chunks onto a skewer and grill them on an electric griddle. You can skip the grilling step if you’d like, or even used canned pineapple – it’s just not quite as tasty.
• De-seed the jalapenos (unless you’re brave) and finely dice them.
• Spread the pizza with all the toppings and bake according to the original pizza instructions.

* To make the bbq tofu:

  • Press and freeze firm or extra firm tofu.  (For instructions, click here.)
  • Thaw tofu in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for several hours.
  • Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes.
  • Saute in barbecue sauce and water until completely coated.
  • Transfer to a greased baking sheet.
  • Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

SPINACH POTATO PIZZA

*This may not seem that great, but it may be my favorite one we do.

Yukon gold potatoes
Fresh spinach
Salt
Pepper

• Bake potatoes and then allow to cool slightly. Slice very thinly.
• Top crust with garlic sauce, then spinach, then potatoes. I cover the entire surface with the spinach and then again with the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake according to the original pizza instructions.

ARTICHOKE ZUCCHINNI PIZZA

Artichoke hearts, finely chopped
Zucchini, chopped
Yellow squash, chopped
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Almonds


• Layer all ingredients on top of crust and garlic sauce and bake according to original pizza instructions.

APPLE CINNAMON DESSERT PIZZA


*For this recipe, do NOT use the garlic sauce from the original pizza recipe – only use the crust*

2-3 apples, peeled and then thinly sliced
Vegan spray butter
Honey
Cinnamon and evaporated cane juice mixtur
e

• Form the crust, pinching the sides around the edge to create a raised wall. The honey and butter tend to bubble over the edge if you don’t.
• Spray the crust with spray butter, then drizzle with melted honey.
• Put one layer of thinly slice apples over honey and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon and evaporated cane juice mixture.
• Layer again with apples, honey, spray butter, and cinnamon and evaporated cane juice mixture.
• Bake according to original pizza instructions.

*This tastes incredible by itself, but is also quite tasty with vanilla soy ice cream*

*When I reference the original pizza instructions, I am referring to this pizza.*

*With all of these, I usually bake my crust for a few minutes and then pull it back out to add the toppings and then finish baking. I find the crust is a little bit more crispy/crunchy and less soggy that way.*

{SWEET POTATOES WITH BLACK BEAN CHILI}

SWEET POTATOES:

3 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped (about half that amount if using dried)
salt (or garlic salt)
cooking spray


• Preheat oven to 400°. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray.

• Cube sweet potatoes. Combine potatoes and rosemary in a bowl. Transfer to cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt, spray with cooking spray, and bake at 400° for 35 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the chili.

BLACK BEAN CHILI:

⅓ c. onion, diced
⅓ c. green or red pepper, diced
⅓ c. tomatoes, diced
2 t. garlic, minced
½ t. chili powder
½ t. ground cumin
¼ t. salt
⅛ t. pepper
1 can black beans, drained
8 oz. can of tomato sauce



• In a medium saucepan, sauté the onion in water for 3 minutes to soften.

• Add the pepper and sauté an additional 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

• Add the tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings and sauté for 2 more minutes.

• Add the black beans and tomato sauce. Stir well to combine and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Serve over cooked sweet potatoes.

{RAW CHOCOLATE PUDDING}

I tried this today for the first time and it's soooo good (at least I think so)! I found it on aniphyo.com originally, but couldn't find it there today so I found a slightly different version here. I changed it a bit.


I think you could easily use this for frosting if you omitted the water at the end.

1/2 c. dates (soaked)*
1/4 c. maple syrup or agave nectar (or maple syrup/honey)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. mashed avocado
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. water

  • Place first 3 ingredients in food processor and blend.
  • Add avocado and cocoa powder and process until smooth.
  • Add the water and process briefly.
  • Chill.

*I didn't know what soaking dates involved, so I just put them in water and let them soak for about 15-20 minutes. Seemed to work for me!

{QUINOA STUFFED ZUCCHINI}

Quinoa is a super healthy grain that can be found in bulk in health food stores, or in flavored boxes at normal grocery stores. If you buy it in bulk, it does need to be rinsed before cooking

½ c. quinoa, rinsed*
1 c. water
4 medium zucchini
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ c. nutritional yeast
½ c. almonds, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ c. bread crumbs
1 t. water



• Preheat oven to 400.

• In a large saucepan, brown the quinoa over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 c. water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the zucchini in a large baking dish, cut-side up.

• Fluff the quinoa and fold in the beans, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, almonds, and garlic.

• Spoon the quinoa mixture into the zucchini.

• Combine the bread crumbs and the water and sprinkle over the quinoa and zucchini. I sometimes spray the tops with a bit of spray butter, too.

• Cover with tin foil and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake another 8-10 minutes, until bread crumbs are golden brown.

• Serves: 4

* You may also use flavored quinoa in this dish, such as Sun-dried Tomato Basil or Savory Herb. I usually just use plain quinoa but add some basil and Italian Seasoning to the water I cook it in. *

{JAMAICAN BLACK BEAN STEW}

This is a fabulous stew with a really great flavor. Even though it may seem like an odd combination, I highly recommend topping it with the cucumbers and tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are especially delicious) as suggested.

2 c. uncooked brown rice
3 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¾ -inch cubes (about 5 c.)
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ -inch cubes (about 4 c.)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 can vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. curry powder
1½ t. ground allspice
½ t. ground red pepper
¼ t. salt
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
½ c. raisins*
3 T. lime juice
1 c. diced tomato
1 c. cucumber, peeled and diced



• Prepare rice according to package directions.

• Combine squash, potatoes, onion, broth, garlic, curry powder, allspice, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 5 minutes.

• Add beans and raisins. Simmer 5 minutes more, until potatoes and squash are tender and beans are hot.

• Remove from heat and add lime juice.

• Serve stew over brown rice and top with tomato and cucumber.

• Serves 8.

*We don't do raisins at our house, so I just leave these out.

{CHIP AND SALSA SOUP }

This is a Dr. McDougall recipe. It's a different take on the typical "taco soup" that both my husband and I like better.


3 ½ cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed*
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 ¼ cups fresh salsa, mild or medium
1 T. canned diced green chilies
1 cup corn kernels
2 cups fat-free tortilla chips
1 cup avocado chunks



• Place the broth, beans, salsa, corn, green onions and chilies in a medium saucepan.

• Cook over low heat for 10 minutes to blend flavors

• Place ½ cup of chips and ¼ cup of avocado in each of four bowls. Ladle the soup over the avocado and chips and serve at once.

* I usually do both!

{BLACK BEAN AND SQUASH ENCHILADAS}

I promise, the enchiladas are under there . . . .
I've served this to non-vegan friends and it always goes over well.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1½ c.)
1 can white corn kernels, drained and rinsed (about 1½ c.)
2-4 cans enchilada sauce (about 3-6 c.)
1 small zucchini (about 1 c.)
1 small yellow squash (about 1 c.)
1 T. fresh cilantro (or 1 t. dried cilantro)
1/2 t. coriander
1-2 t. cumin
1/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt
small corn tortillas

nutritional yeast (optional)

vegan sour cream
olives

lettuce
tomatoes
avocados

• Preheat oven to 375°.

• Mix beans and rice with 1/2 enchilada sauce.

• Add diced zucchini and squash.

• Add chopped cilantro and other spices. Mix together and set aside.

• Steam tortillas until they are soft.

• Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with some enchilada sauce. Place a spoonful of zucchini/bean mixture into each tortilla and roll them up. Place side by side in the dish until it is full.  (Or just layer the whole thing like an enchilada casserole.)

• Once dish is full, cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast if desired and cover with foil.

• Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until cheese is completely melted.

• Top with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, olives, vegan sour cream.

{STROGANOFF}

This has baked tofu in it rather than ground soy.  The mushrooms were also sautéed separately (in apple juice).
This is one of my very favorite meals, but because of the soy hamburger, we don't have it too often. It's adapted from one of my aunt's real beef stroganoff recipes.

Enjoy!

8 oz. - 1 lb. ground soy, or baked tofu**
1 c. onion, chopped (about 1 large onion)
1 T. fridge garlic (or 4 cloves, crushed)
½ lb. mushrooms, sliced (8 oz. or 1 c.)
3 T. flour
1 T. ketchup
2 t. Bragg’s liquid amino acids (or soy sauce)
½ t. salt
⅛ t. pepper
1 can vegetable broth (about 1½ c.)
¼ c. apple juice or water
½ - 1 c. vegan sour cream
noodles or rice, to serve (2 c. uncooked rice or 3 c. uncooked noodles)


• Sauté onion, garlic, and mushrooms in a little bit of water or spray vegan butter for 1-2 minutes*.

• Add (frozen) ground soy hamburger and cook for 2-3 minutes

• Remove from heat and add flour, ketchup, Bragg’s, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.

• Return mixture to heat and gradually add broth. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

• Over low heat, add apple juice and sour cream, stirring until well combined.

• Serve over noodles or rice.

* My husband is not a fan of onions or mushrooms in whole form. I usually make this stroganoff sauce without the mushrooms and onions - just start with cooking the ground hamburger for a minute or two and then add all the sauce ingredients. I then slice the onion and mushrooms and saute them separately and add them as "toppings" on my own plate.

**{BAKED TOFU}

1 12-oz. box firm silken tofu, pressed and frozen


1/4 c. water
1/4 c. apple juice
1 t. Better Than Bouillon
1 T. ketchup
2 T. soy sauce, or Bragg's
1 pinch pepper

  • Thaw tofu at room temperature for several hours, or in the oven at 170 degrees for an hour.
  • Cut into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes.
  • Combine marinade ingredients.
  • Marinate tofu for a couple of hours (or just sauté until pieces are completely coated).
  • Transfer to a baking sheet.
  • Bake at 350 for 40 minutes to 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes.  (I leave my tofu in the oven even after I turn it off.  I like it really dry and chewy.)
  • Add the tofu to the stroganoff a few minutes before serving to allow it to moisten a bit.  (The texture is great if you bake it dry and then allow it to soak up some new moisture from the sauce.)