seitan portobello stroganoff

this dish is fairly time consuming, so we made it on a saturday evening. it was well worth the time spent, and the leftovers for our lunches were incredible. the recipe comes from vegan with a vengeance.

chili lime tofu

we've made this before, and i thought i had posted it. apparently not. this chili lime tofu is from vegan yum yum. dry-fried tofu with a spicy sweet glaze. here we served it on millet. the dry-frying changes the texture of the tofu into a firmer, chewier taste. then the glaze flavors it perfectly on its crispier outside. this recipe is really fast and easy once you have your tofu dry-fried, which is joe's job, anyway.

kale chips

these chips are really tasty and very quick to make. just wash and tear up some kale and toss it with olive oil and sea salt. bake the kale for 10-15 minutes at 350° until crispy. yum!

cashew cheese ball with socca

this was our first foray into the world of homemade nut cheeses. it worked really well and was really easy, too (especially since it was made while i was at work). the socca recipe is from david lebovitz's blog; it's a gluten-free chickpea pancake that is broiled to be kind of crispy.

on another note, i also loved his post about truffle hunting.

pesto

when the basil was bountiful at the market, we picked up a bunch to make vegan pesto. we had plenty of basil for two batches and froze most of it. mom recommended that we use an ice cube tray, which has worked out perfectly. the only trouble is, we're using it up way too fast. our stock will never last us until next summer.

vegan pesto
· 1 1/2 cups fresh basil
· 1/3 cup olive oil
· 1/2 cup each pine nuts & walnuts
· 5 cloves garlic
· 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

preparation
combine all ingredients in a food processor until nuts are ground. pesto should still have texture and not be completely smooth. too easy!

tots and veggies

if there can be any advantages to a cool summer, one might be that you can cook non-summer foods if you feel like it.  who would normally want their oven on for 60 minutes in a no a/c apartment in july?  maybe people in the southern hemisphere.

one of the most exciting parts of this tater tot casserole was the cream of mushroom soup that is made in the process.  it got us thinking of ideas for holiday cooking to easily veganize some classics.

summer pies

rhubarb banana pie

mom arens modified a rhubarb pie recipe to veganize it, substituting banana for the eggs.  it worked like a charm.  she gave me the recipe, so i'll find it and post it here soon.

strawberry pie

we went strawberry picking with dad and owen in montague and turned many strawberries into jam, but we saved some to make a vegan strawberry pie.  this recipe uses cornstarch to thicken up a strawberry and sugar glaze.  add a little soyatoo and you're all set.

butterfinger smoothie

in brooklyn, foodswings serves up a vegan butterfinger smoothie. this one is just as delicious and probably healthier because a banana and soy milk are subbed for the soy chocolate ice cream. it's also incredibly easy to make.


makes 2-3 servings

ingredients:
10 large ice cubes
1 cup plain or chocolate soy milk
3 T hershey's syrup, if using plain soy milk
1 med/large ripe banana
2 T natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
chick-o-sticks

start with just the ice in the blender (we've found this is the only way to ensure it all gets crushed up) and pulse it until all the ice is crushed. then add all the ingredients, saving some of the chick-o-sticks. blend it all until smooth then add more chick-o-sticks and blend briefly.

also delicious is the simpler smoothie of banana, chocolate soy milk and ice. yum!

quesadillas

joe and i thought these quesadillas were delicious. we found the sauce to be a tasty substitute to cheese, but it surely didn't taste like cheese. these vegan quesadillas are probably best suited to vegans.


here's how to make them:

ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup plain soy milk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon stoneground mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
(or just whichever of the spices you have on hand)

2 tablespoons salsa
tortillas
optional fillings: mushrooms, peppers, onions (all pre-sauteed)

put all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. pour the mixture into a medium non-stick saucepan, add the salsa, and stir as you bring to a boil. reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring, for at least 2 minutes after boiling. sauce should be thick and smooth.

heat a large, non-stick skillet. place 1 tortilla in the skillet and spread some of the "cheese" over the tortilla. add other toppings on top of the cheese. cover with another tortilla and cook for a minute or two, until the bottom tortilla is golden browned. flip the whole thing over and cook until the bottom tortilla has browned. remove from pan and slice into quarters. serve with additional salsa.

valentine cookies

for valentines day i made up a batch of heart shaped chocolate chip cookies. i veganized the toll house recipe with willow run margarine, corn starch for the eggs (2T+2T water=1 egg), and ghirardelli semisweet chips. before baking, i formed the dough into little hearts.

keen on quinoa

this quinoa salad was nutritious and filling. the added bonus is that it was also delicious and easy to make. i'll tell you what i did, so you don't have to bother with extra nonsense of the real recipe.

the quinoa

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups cold water

1/2 tsp salt

the others

1/2 or more of a hot pepper, minced

2 or more cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a green pepper, sliced or diced

1/2 of another color pepper, sliced or diced

1 tsp cumin

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 or more handfuls of cherry tomatoes, sliced

2 or more scallions, sliced

the dressing

2 tbsp lime juice, fresh

1/4 cup olive oil

a little cilantro (i use dried because i don't like cilantro)

salt & pepper to taste

a pinch of cayenne or chili powder

to make the quinoa

soak it in cold water for a while to remove the bitterness (1/2 hour was recommended, but who has that kind of time?). rinse it a few times and put it back in the pot. add 1 1/2 cups cold water and the salt. bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. when it is finished, set it aside to cool a bit.

the salad

saute the garlic and hot pepper in oil until the garlic browns a bit. then add the bell peppers and cumin. saute for a few minutes.

in a bowl, stir up the dressing ingredients. check the flavor for necessary adjusting.

mix everything in a large bowl, adding the quinoa last so you can get the amount that is right for you.

the eating

serve it hot or cold. it would probably make a great burrito stuffer, but we ate it with chips and salsa. feel free to try some guacamole or margaritas or something else exciting on the side as well.

thanksgiving

the thanksgiving 2008 rundown: salad with squash, wild mushrooms, apple, and homemade dressing, roasted brussel sprouts, corn, garlic mashed redskins, chickpea cutlets, brown gravy, and field roast. paired with pacifico, trader joe's wine, and peanut butter chocolate pie, this was an all-out fantastic meal.

ingredients piled high in anticipation.

introducing.....the field roast!

delicious pie that's a cinch to make.

blend/process 1/2 C melted chocolate chips, 1/2 C creamy peanutbutter, and 1 package of mori-nu silken tofu. then put it in a pie crust & chill.

time to give thanks, relax and enjoy.

magical mystery tacos?

according to the recipe i found, these are linda mccartney's tofu tacos. whether that's true or not, they were easy to make and tasted great.

pineapple lentils

these little lentils cooked themselves on saturday afternoon. all the more time to fold laundry!

note: i used only 2 cups of dried lentils and 5 cups of water. i kept everything else the same. i know the ingredients sound pretty bland, but this does taste quite nice. it's a great reprieve from taste bud overload.

tempeh chicken salad

joe is constantly seeking out the best soy dogs and vegan chicken salad. i found a recipe online and modified it a bit to get the right taste. my recipe is below.

tempeh chicken salad

1 large block of tempeh

3/4 C vegan mayo

1 long celery

small onion, chopped

2 t mustard

3 t soy sauce or braggs

1 clove garlic, minced

boil a small pot of water and boil the tempeh for 10 minutes. when cool enough, dice the tempeh into very small bits. mix together all the ingredients well.

other appetizer-y things.

when jason and holli came, we also made some potato wedges with chili dip, tostones (seen in the previous post), and hummus with oiled and pressed french bread.

chili dip for roasted potatoes

since i am in new york, and the cookbook containing the chili dip recipe is in michigan, here is how i would make it while winging it brooklyn style.

olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can diced/chopped tomatoes

1 jalapeno or other hot pepper

some balsamic vinegar...?

a teeny bit of cilantro (for garnish)

s&p, to taste

in a small saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in some olive oil for a few minutes. when the onions are soft, add the rest of the ingredients. allow the mixture to simmer for at least 5 minutes.

it seems to me that there must be some balsamic vinegar in here, but i can't remember for sure. perhaps just add 1T and hope it tastes right.

the leftover dip was really tasty when we ate it cold on those delicious pretzel cracker things.

summer soups.

one weekend in august we turned a trip to the market into two wonderful summer soups. we made gazpacho and velvet corn soup. both were wonderfully cool against the august heat, and we fully enjoyed an evening with jason and holli.

many mix-ins for our gazpacho

i can't remember exactly how we made the gazpacho because we combined ideas from several recipes, but here is the recipe for the velvet corn soup, which i found at NPR online.

cold velvet corn soup

makes 4 to 6 servings
6 ears of fresh corn, husked
2 leeks, white parts only
4 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
chopped scallions for garnish

rub the ears of corn with a towel to remove the last silk threads. cut the kernels off of the cob into a large mixing bowl. break the cobs in half and put them into a stockpot.

halve the white part of the leeks lengthwise and rinse them well. chop them coarsely and place in the stockpot. add all remaining ingredients except corn kernels. bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.

remove corn cobs and the bay leaf and discard. add the corn kernels and simmer for 5 more minutes. using a blender on high, puree the soup in batches. (the recipe suggested to strain the soup through a sieve, but we just blended it very well and served as is.) after blending, chill the soup for at least 4 hours before serving.

update: banana muffin recipe

here is the recipe for the chocolate chip banana muffins posted earlier this summer

ingredients:

1/2 C butter

1 t vanilla

3/4 C sugar

egg replacer for 2 eggs (1 egg = 2T H2O + 2T cornstarch)

1 1/4 C flour

3/4 C oats

1 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 C over-ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 C vegan chocolate chips (optional, but delightful)

preparations:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. cream butter, sugar, and vanilla. add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each. (i also make sure to mix up the eggs with a fork while pouring to ensure all the cornstarch stays in the water).

3. in a second bowl, mix flour, oats, salt, soda, and powder.

4. add the dry mix to the wet mix in two additions.

5. add mashed bananas and mix.

6. add chocolate chips.

7. i make mine in a mini muffin tin, but either will work well. grease it and bake the batter for about 25 minutes.

market day

i was pleased to find out that there is a great reward for biking to the farmer's market on a warm saturday morning. it includes strawberries and avocado reubens (and a pound of lovely asparagus to enjoy later).

all it takes is some vegan thousand island with sauerkraut and sliced avocado (having an awesome cast iron sandwich press doesn't hurt, either)

lentil burgers

you may have received a recipe for these burgers in the mail. if you can't find canned lentils, which my d&w only started carrying recently, you can get some dried lentils and use 2 cooked cups.

here's a microlentil burger that joe made me a while ago. it's a little blurry, but still just as cute.