Category Archives: Fall Food

Purple Carrot Files: Italian Cannellini Bean Stew

Posted on November 28, 2016 | Leave a comment

I’ve been using Purple Carrot vegan meal planning/prep service on and off for about a year. While I like it, I don’t exactly love it. The cons are: tons of trash/recycling, expensive ($69.00 for 3 meals x 2 people OR 2 meals x 4 people), produce can be iffy upon arrival, produce doesn’t last long after delivery, some recipes are missing steps, instructions, ingredients or seasoning, there are lots of Asian & Thai flavors, and some meals seem suuuuuper cheap for what I pay for the box (like this one I’m profiling). The pros are: convenient, pre-measured, tasty and fun recipes I might not have otherwise tried, all the prep is done for you but the chopping (even in most cases the washing), lots of Asian & Thai flavors (yeah I listed that as a con too -but for me, I love these flavors), and finally, great customer support. Every single time I’ve emailed them, ranted on Twitter or tried to get a jab in on Instagram upset about a crappy piece of produce they have refunded me at minimum $20.00 and responded very promptly.

This last part is why I stick around: service. While it is not a perfect produce science. The service is friendly, prompt and honest. I’ve always been a big fan of a sincere apology, so I will take Thanksgiving off – they did a cool box donation to Feeding America, I fell for that noise and donated my meals to a charity this week and I’ll come back after the holiday in the hopes of more delicious Asian & Thai foods to combat my Thanksgiving sides hangover. Speaking of hangovers, food or otherwise, one of the recipes that I made this week struck me as being an excellent hangover cure: Italian Cannellini Bean Stew. 

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 6 ounces carrot, diced
  • 3 ounces escarole, deveined & chopped
  • 1 can Cannellini beans, rinsed
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3 T veggie broth powder
  • 3/4-1 tsp smoked paprika (I prefer Penzeys – especially because they are social justice badasses)
  • Fresh basil, chiffonade
  • 1/4 – 1/3 C vegan Parmesan
  • Olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

Mince & dice: rinse & dry produce. Mince the peeled garlic and shallot. Peel and dice the carrots into uniform pieces.

Chop & rinse: rinse the escarole and basil. Separate the leaves from the thick/tough stems and discard the stems to both greens. Separately, stack the leaves of each green up, roll them and roughly chop them into ribbons (chiffonade). Drain and rinse the cannellini beans, set aside.

Start stewing: add 1 T EVOO to a stock pot and heat over medium high heat until hot. Add shallot, carrot, red pepper flakes and a bit of salt. Cook for about a minute stirring – careful not to burn the shallot. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant – 30 seconds to 1 minute – do not burn the garlic. Repeat: do not burn the garlic.

Finish stewing: add 4 C water, the veg powder and paprika to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot to dislodge any nummy bits from the bottom then add the beans. Bring the stew (stoup really) to a boil and reduce heat to low, simmer 10 minutes or until the carrots are tender (not mush). Add the escarole leaves to the pot, let wilt x about 2 minutes. Remove the pot from heat.

Garnish: season the stew with salt and pepper. Ladle into shallow bowls. Garnish with basil ribbons and vegan Parm.

 

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Posted in Dinner, Fall Food, Product Review, Recipes, Soup, Vegan

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Tried & True Thanksgiving Recipes That Will Impress Your Meat-Eating Friends

Posted on November 21, 2016 | Leave a comment

Thanksgiving is the ultimate potluck. Bring in the fam, everyone brings a dish or ten and you set in for the long haul on the twenty-course meal with more sides than you even knew existed. Being a vegan or vegetarian is feast or famine at a family gathering. You are constantly battling chicken broth in a lovely array of veg dishes. So if you haven’t yet trained your family on the perils of cream of chicken soup in the green bean casserole, head over to VeganGR for the top veganized comfort food recipes you can sneak into an omnivore gathering. Kolene and Jon have tried and tested nearly every recipe you can imagine and have settled down with these versions of comfort food, good even for your dad who thinks steak is a food group: VeganGR Thanksgiving Guide.

This weekend I got a little anxious for potatoes and gravy, so I tossed a Vegan Field Roast “Meat” Loaf slathered in BBQ sauce into the oven and served the Easy Mushroom Gravy over baked potatoes as the side. If you think that gravy needs animal fat to be delicious or that cooking the gravy with the threat of “breaking” of the gravy is part of the “art” of Thanksgiving, get out of town because this is the best gravy, meat-filled or otherwise you will put into your mouth. I dare you to swap it out for the main gravy at your holiday gathering…no one will notice a thing.

What little veg secret will you unleash at your holiday gathering? I’d love to hear about it. Make just 1 swap and tell me all about it.

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Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion, roughly diced
8 oz cremini (baby bella) mushrooms roughly chopped
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced (pictured is double cremini, no shiitake mushrooms at the grocery store last night)
1 T olive oil
¼ c canola oil
½ c all-purpose flour
2 cups good vegetable broth (I used Rapunzel broth powder)
1 t garlic powder (I subbed a Tablespoon of fresh garlic)
½ t thyme (dried)
½ t sage (I subbed 2 teaspoons of fresh sage for dried)
salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Sauté onion and cremini mushrooms in saucepan along with the canola oil and a pinch of salt. Cook down until onions are translucent and the mushrooms have lost their moisture.
  • Add flour and stir until everything is covered and combined. You want no more white flour to be visible, and all the veggies covered in a thick paste. Let cook for a minute or so.
  • Add vegetable broth and stir. Bring back up to a boil and allow mixture to thicken. Once thickened, turn off heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
  • While that’s cooling, add olive oil to a small frying pan on medium heat. Sauté shiitakes until they’re lightly browned. Remove from heat.
  • Take thickened sauce to a blender. Add in the thyme and sage, and process on high until smooth. Return to sauce pan, and turn heat back on.
  • Once hot, add shiitakes to gravy.
  • Serve + Revel in your plant-based trickery.

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Posted in Dinner, Fall Food, Marinade/Dressing, Recipes, Vegan

Vegan, Gluten-Free Gooey Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolate Pudding Cake [say that three times fast]

Posted on December 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

I haven’t posted in a while and for that I’m sorry. Posts likely won’t pick up until the first part of January as I finish up my PhD coursework and become the coveted “ABD” (all but dissertation) in the next hurdle for terminal degree conclusion.

I know I talk about my amazing Pinterest experiences [and my not so amazing ones too] and my pinning addiction too much as it is, but think of all of the amazing content it creates in life! It’s become a break, a relaxation technique right before bedtime, I pin all sorts of fabu stuff that I may or may not ever act on; however, this recipe from Angela Liddon, I made within 24 hours of pinning and I am NOT sorry. In fact, I have plans to make it for just about every potluck I will be attending in the next 4 weeks or so; my apologies [sorry, not sorry] if I will see you multiples times in the next month – I don’t think you will mind much as this dish is certainly worth grabbing seconds of – for sure.

I’ll STFU now and give you some food porn and a recipe. If you aren’t paying attention to Oh She Glows, you are missing out on some seriously tasty vegan eats. Cheers!

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups rolled oats, ground into a flour (use certified gluten-free oats, if necessary)
  • 1 flax egg: (1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar – I used cane sugar with fine results
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – don’t skimp on quality here – I used very dark and it was rich and gooey
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped non-dairy dark chocolate
  • 1/2-3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste
  • 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 + 1/4 cup hot coffee – I used Biggby Cinnamon Toffee seasonal flavor and I was not sorry
  • For serving: vegan vanilla ice cream and toasted chopped pecans

 

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Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375⁰F and lightly grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish with oil.
  2. Whisk flax and water together in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to gel up.
  3. In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, chocolate, salt, and baking powder.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flax mixture, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  5. Pour wet mixture onto dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
  6. Scoop the batter into the prepared glass dish and smooth out evenly with a spoon.
  7. In a small bowl or mug, combine the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder and 1/4 cup sugar. Sprinkle all of it evenly over the cake batter.
  8. Slowly pour the hot coffee over the cocoa powder and sugar mixture ensuring that the coffee completely covers the powder and sugar. The cake will now look like a complete disaster, but this is normal. Promise! It’s true. It’s not pretty.
  9. Very carefully place the dish into the oven, uncovered. Bake at 375⁰F for 24-30 minutes (I baked for 24 mins., but your oven might need more or less – see her post for the visual step by step pictures) until the cake is semi-firm on the top, but bubbly and gooey around the edges. It will look under-baked, but this is normal. If for whatever reason your cake is still watery after 30 minutes in the oven, keep baking it until the rapture. I’m just kidding. You will want to pull it out before it burns for sure.
  10. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and then serve immediately with vegan vanilla ice cream and toasted pecans. This cake is best served warm straight out of the oven. Eat this….all of this immediately. Chef Mike topped ours with fresh whipped cream. It made me very happy.

Notes from Angela: 1) You can probably swap the coconut sugar for natural cane sugar. The bake time may vary slightly since coconut sugar tends to be more dry. 2) If you aren’t a coffee fan, feel free to swap it with boiling water. 3) To make this nut-free, swap the almond milk for coconut milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice) and leave out the pecan garnish. 4) To make the oat flour, add the rolled oats into a high speed blender and blend on high until a fine flour forms. You can also use 1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons store-bought oat flour instead.

 

 

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Posted in Baking, Dessert, Fall Food, Recipes

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Vegan Curried Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

Posted on September 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

The last call for summer corn is upon us in Michigan. My favorite time of late summer/early fall is the week or two in which Honeycrisp apples overlap sweet summer corn harvest. Today from Versluis Farm I picked up 16 ears of corn, a half bushel of the last of the Ginger Gold apples, a half bushel of the first Honeycrisp apples, a few of the remaining plums and a few pints of white peaches. This time of year makes me a little sad…squash season will be upon us at anytime which means, more butternut, spaghetti, acorn and buttercup flesh than I can stand to consume frankly. I hope to make a few more grabs at the apples before they disappear and savor the sweets of summer.

To make the best use of corn today, I stripped it from the cob and created this soup to freeze for when I get all squashed out this winter. Savor summer friends, it is disappearing before our very eyes.

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
  • 1 poblano pepper, diced
  • 8 ears corn, stripped of kernels (save cobs for broth)
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 3 shallots, diced
  • 1 T garlic, chopped
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp powdered onion
  • 2 tsp powdered garlic
  • 2 tsp – 1 1/2 T hot curry powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper, ground
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (approx 11-15 ounces depending on brand)
  • 6-8 C water
  • 3 T powdered bullion (I use Rapunzel brand)
  • 1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • juice and zest of 1 lime

corn

Instructions:

In a dutch oven, saute in extra virgin olive oil red bell pepper, green bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, poblano pepper, red onion, shallots, and garlic. Add corn after veggies are cooked through and cook together for one minute. To the veggies add spices, bullion, water and corn cobs stripped of kernels – the remaining starch helps thicken the soup. Simmer soup for 30-60 minutes then remove cobs and add full-fat coconut milk, lime juice and zest, stir. Before serving, do one of two things: use immersion blender to achieve additional thickness or transfer half of soup to food processor or blender until desired consistency is met. If you like a thicker chowder, consider using part mashed sweet potato and part diced. Serve with naan or any other carb. Freezes well.

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Posted in Fall Food, Recipes, Soup

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Vegan Sriracha Maple Glazed Veggies

Posted on February 10, 2014 | 4 comments

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I totally missed the boat on posting Thanksgiving recipes this year-don’t judge me. Luckily this recipe isn’t just a “holiday” recipe so I can share with you now. It will warm you up from the inside out AND it’s a sneaky way to make veggies that sometimes get a bad rap, like brussels sprouts, into the belly of an unsuspecting friend with favorable results. I think this could be slathered on just about anything but for this recipe I chose sweet potatoes, raw cranberries (go with it okay), and brussels sprouts – I think any roasted veggie would do though, so experiment with whatever is in your pantry already.

  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 3T EVOO (about 1T per cup of veggies roasting)
  • 3T Sriracha
  • 1 1/2 T Braggs Aminos (or low sodium Tamari/soy sauce)
  • 1T chopped garlic
  • 1T minced fresh ginger
  • juice and zest of 1 lime

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and dump over veggies in a roasting pan. Roast at 400, turning every 15 minutes, until veggies are slightly charred and glazed. Serve. Put leftovers over rice or in a tortilla the next day for a quick lunch.

Recipe adapted from Baker by Nature and Pocket Full of Thyme

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Posted in Dinner, Fall Food, Less is more, Meatless Monday, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Vegan Pumpkin Coconut Caramel Sauce

Posted on November 18, 2013 | 1 comment

Crockpot creamer for coffee? Relatives coming over for the holidays? I’ll try just about anything in a crockpot once. This turned out surprisingly Starbucks-esque. I omitted the cardamom and cloves I’m not a big fan of those spices.

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1 can full-fat coconut milk (I used low-fat without too much of a texture problem it was obviously thinner)

  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp ground allspice
  • Pinch of cloves

Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours. Store in fridge and add in your hot or iced coffee.

Recipe adapted from: Vegan Slow Cooking

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Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Fall Food, Less is more, Recipes

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Virtual Vegan Potluck – Ginger Carrot Soup

Posted on November 16, 2013 | 20 comments

I know what you were thinking….when is the next Virtual Vegan Potluck? Well, it is YOUR lucky day. VVP is TODAY! The VVP is an online party that happens twice a year where food bloggers share PLANT-BASED recipes (of course) in any one of eight courses. We’ve been eating an obscene amount of soup in our home lately due to the dreary, drizzly, midwestern weather we are enduring in the mitten state so I didn’t have to go far for this recipe selection.

The coolest thing about the VVP is the linking up of every blog via the “back” (Vegan Runner Eats) and “forward” (Quinoa Kale and Exhale) buttons on the bottom of each blog in the Potluck. You are welcome for providing you with the opportunity for entering this veggie wormhole! Be sure to visit my friends in the other categories of course, but soup…soup is where it’s at. Click the buttons below for delish noms for the fall/winter months. I know you are spending most of you work time browsing the web for Thanksgiving meal ideas anyway, so why not hang out in the potluck for a while?

virtual vegan potluck welcome logo

I make a trek to Whole Foods Ann Arbor every so often and the first thing I usually grab from the produce section is a 5 pound bag of their organic carrots. I do this to 1) remind myself that baby carrots are not really a carrot, 2) that I love the serene process of preparing veggies for consuming (i.e. peeling, chopping, etc), and 3) that carrots have a TASTE. Yes. An. Actual. Taste. You don’t get a whole lotta taste from those Dole carrots at my local supermarket. You just don’t.

While scouring the Interwebs for delish recipes I often find that I like certain elements of multiple recipes, or a regular recipe that could stand to be veganized, and so I collect them, mix them up and then execute delish, satisfying, warm-in-your-belly soup.

  • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced small for fast cooking
  • 1 tsp garlic powder or 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tsp onion powder or 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp curry powder (I did 1 tsp hot, 1 tsp sweet)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1-2 T fresh chopped ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger (the fresh gives it a certain lively flavor in your mouth and a lot of zip!)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp garam marsala (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 5-6 C water (you want all of your carrots covered with liquid to start)
  • 2 veg boullion cubes
  • 1 can (14-16 oz) nondairy milk (in keeping with the spice theme above, I chose light coconut milk)
  • fine grain sea salt (as much as you need)

Process your carrots by peeling and chopping into uniform chunks so they cook at the same rate.

If using real garlic, onion, and or ginger heat a stock pot add 1 T of water and drop in raw ingredients. Heat until transluscent over medium heat careful not to burn fresh garlic. After your fresh ingredients are cooked through, or if not using fresh garlic, onion, and/or ginger, next drop carrots into stock pot followed by all other ingredients and bring mix to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to simmer or low and cook the soup until the carrots are tender. Remove from heat and let cool.

If you wish to puree the soup with a hand blender you can probably get away with blending right in the pot off the heat with some care so as not to splash molten carrot on yourself. If using a blender, be careful as you transfer hot liquids and above all consider the pressure factor in putting hot liquids in a covered blender. I will leave a part of the lid open and cover with a towel lightly so as to avoid an explosion. With either method, you control the consistency with additional water, veg broth, or as one blog suggested, orange juice! Taste and season with salt or more curry after your soup is pureed.

Some of the recipes I viewed suggested a squeeze of lemon after puree to bring out a lightness in the soup. Others finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, lemon oil, nut oils, sesame oil or chili oil. We love our carbs at the Wallace-DeVries home, so instead of oil, we finished this soup with Naan 🙂

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Ideas for this mashup come from: The Curvy Carrot, Eat Live Run, Whole Foods,  Simply Recipes, Mind Body Green, and May I Have That Recipe.

VVPL go back                                                             VVPL go forward

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Posted in Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Make Ahead, Meatless Monday, Recipes, Soup, Vegan, Virtual Potluck

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VeganGR: Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta & Spinach

Posted on October 28, 2013 | 2 comments

My friends at VeganGR are pretty rad. From time to time they help me with content on this blog which is a life-saver really. Here’s a post that will help you with the fall chill. 

It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s The Post Punk Kitchen and her cookbooks. One of our favorites is Appetite For Reduction. There are 125 low-calorie vegan recipes in it. The best thing we’ve found about these recipes is that none of them feel like diet food. Each dish is a fully satisfying meal.

One of the easiest (and delicious) meals to make is the Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta and Spinach. This recipe is super easy, very forgiving, and a great one-dish meal. This has been a wonderful dish to share with non-veg friends, as it always gets rave reviews. It’s also easy to modify and add your own touch. You could add vegan sausage, other veggies, vegan mozzarella cheese, or whatever you can dream up!

Here is the version I made last week:

For the Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta:

1 medium-size head cauliflower, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 t. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1 pound extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 pinches of citric acid
2 T. of water (normally you can skip this and the citric acid and just use 2 T. of lemon juice, but I was out)
Ground black pepper to taste.

Roast the cauliflower in the oven by tossing it with olive oil and salt and laying it down on a pan with parchment paper. I like mine dark so I turn my oven up the highest it will go and let it stay in the oven until pieces start to char. I toss it a few times during this process.

When it’s done, I pull out the food processor and give the roasted cauliflower just a few pulses to break it down some (don’t over chop – you don’t want it to be too small). Then I mix that together with all the other ingredients to create the ricotta cheese layer. I usually end up adding a few extra pinches of salt till I have it tasting how I want it. This ricotta recipe is a great addition to any pasta dish – it doesn’t have to be used solely for this recipe!

For the Red Sauce:
There’s a recipe in the book to make your own, but I was lazy and used a jar of G.B. Russo’s Fire Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini sauce. Whatever your favorite is will do!

The Assembly:
For this part you’ll need lasagna noodles and about a cup of fresh spinach.Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of your pan. Just enough to get it wet. Then repeat this 2 times.

  • Lay your noodles. I used No Bake Whole Wheat Lasagna noodles by Delallo.
  • Put down 1/3 of your ricotta mix
  • Cover that with a layer of spinach.

Top that with one more layer of noodles and a little sauce. Normally I sprinkle some black olives over the top to give it some saltiness (per Isa’s instructions in the book), but on this round I was out, so instead I saved a bit of the ricotta mix and put a little of that down for my top layer.

Bake for 40 minutes on 350 and you’re done!

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Posted in Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Product Review, Recipes, Vegan

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Yesterday Tacos, Today Taco Soup

Posted on September 16, 2013 | 2 comments

Yesterday I made the tacos that I sometimes dream about in the winter, full of summer veggies practically radiating sunshine, tender-crisp, and juicy.  I love tacos, but even I can’t eat them every night for leftovers, so this seemed like the perfect solution: taco soup for the freezer and rest of the week.

Recipe:

Cook all veggies using summer tacos recipe found here spices and all, we will add a little more flavor below due to the dilution from the water. While I was charring all the veggies, I set half of each batch into a soup pot to create taco soup for later in the week.

To that add:

  • 1 tsp epazote
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1-2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp to 1T chipotle en adobo (sauce), depending on your like of heat
  • 2-3 C or 1-2 cans black beans, drained
  • 3 cans diced tomatoes, these can be fire roasted or normal diced tomatoes
  • 2 cubes veggie boullion 
  • 4-6 C of water, depending on your thoughts on consistency of soup

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Heat all ingredients through give it a taste and adjust the seasonings (salt for sure). Serve warm with a squeeze of lime, vegan sour cream, and tortilla chips or freeze to preserve the summer.

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Posted in CSA, Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meatless Monday, Michigan, Recipes, Seasonal Ingredients, Soup, Vegan, Vegan MoFo, Vegetarian

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Rustic Vegan Kale Salad – Also, VeganMoFo Intro, Yo.

Posted on September 3, 2013 | 5 comments

vegan mo fo banner

I have no idea how I could have let this recipe go unpublished from my blog for this long. I keep a recipe blog for selfish reasons really, it keeps all my lovely meals in one place so I’m not concerned with the bookmarking madness that is my Chrome browser. So when I went searching for ‘kale salad’ in my own blog and found not one result I became really upset…at…myself. Damn it self!

This little number is a weekly dinner and lunch staple, so my apologies for letting this one slip through the cracks. I also managed to forgot it’s Vegan MoFo! The Vegan Month of Food where veg bloggers are to unite and blog DAILY about vegan noms [OMG, that won’t be a reality for me, but I will try a few times a week this month]. I VeganMoFo’d in 2010 and 2011, but must have lost my mind in 2012 where I can find no archived MoFo posts. Boo.

Luckily, my good friends at VeganGR guest blogged for me today, so I am just one day behind the daily blog for Vegan MoFo 2013. This recipe comes from Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks. I’ve taken a few liberties to veganize her dish but have stayed true to the taste. Not ready to go vegan on this…keep the cheese, and for God sake butter the bread to make breadcrumbs if you are not vegan.

  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale [really any kale will work here, if you find it tough, be sure to let the lemon dressing do some work on the kale in a bag or bowl for a few hours to soften the texture – you know, if you are serving the queen or something]
  • 2 thin slices country bread, or two handfuls good, homemade coarse breadcrumbs
  • 2 garlic cloves, mashed and minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
  • 1/4 cup vegan parm or other salty vegan cheese [Not vegan? Hit it hard with Romano-and thank me later.]
  • 1.5-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish [I go lighter on this one adjusting for the lemon juice I net, I hate an oily dressing, I prefer more juice to oil]
  • Zest of one lemon
  • Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

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  1. Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.
  2. If using the bread, toast it until golden brown on both sides and dry throughout. Tear into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, or crumbs to your liking.
  3. Pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, EVOO, lemon juice, lemon zest, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves). Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil.
  4. This makes the most excellent lunch for DAYS. Also tastes super yummy with some grilled tofu on the side or mixed in. The tangy dressing will more than make up for the blandness of the tofu so no need to marinate the tofu before hand. Perhaps though add a little extra salt to the tofu steaks when grilling them up to round out the taste.
  5. Find Heidi’s original recipe and more kale noms here: 101 Cookbooks.
  6. Wanna get really crazy? Try this with orange juice and orange zest.

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Posted in Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegan MoFo

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Strawberry Salsa

Posted on July 1, 2013 | 1 comment

So you went crazy this past weekend and picked a zillion berries and now you are worried that your fresh strawberries might not be so fresh by the time you want to use them? Here’s a little trick from The Canning Diva to buy you a little bit of time while you process those berries:

  • Put your strawberries in a large bowl and run cold water over them.
  • Add 1/4 cup of vinegar (distilled white or apple cider) to every 2 cups of water.
  • Let them soak for about 5 minutes.
  • Drain, rinse, and dry on a towel-lined cookie sheet.

 

Now get to work using the fruit of your labor in this unusual dish sure to delight at your next porch party or holiday party. In the dead of winter, if you pull out a jar of this to take for a dish to pass, you will look like a rock star. This past weekend, my friend Jen, her mom, Mrs. Jen and I went to work churning out two batches of this sweet and savory salsa. I can’t wait to try it over some vegan cream cheese on a cracker or a corn chip.

The Diva’s Signature Strawberry Salsa

  • 12 cups of bite-size chopped strawberries (about 4 quarts)
  • 1/2 cup Agave Sweetener
  • 5 cups of raw, unbleached sugar (if this huge amount freaks you out you can use more Agave, Stevia or Splenda, consistency will vary however-we used 3 C sugar and a mix for the rest)
  • 1 1/4 cups Vidalia onions, size is your preference (mine are diced small)
  • 1 cup diced red onion
  • 1 cup of jalapeno (if you want more heat, keep some seeds) I remove all seeds and chop fine in my small food processor
  • 4 ounces of fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3/4 cup red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped mint
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/4 cups of apple cider vinegar

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Directions from the Diva: Boil sugar, vinegar and agave sweetener until sugar has dissolved. Add all onions, peppers, herbs, lime juice and spices and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add the strawberries. Mix well.

Using a slotted spoon, hot pack salsa into pint size jars being sure to include ample liquid in each jar so long as the salsa isn’t too watery. Leave a ½” of headspace for proper processing. (I filled 7 jars with salsa and had 1 pint left over that was pure liquid. Process the liquid the same as the salsa and use it as a marinade or the base of a sweet and savory cocktail)

As always, be sure to wipe your rims with a warm cloth to remove any liquid. Seal each jar with lids and rings and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Processing doesn’t begin until after the water is at a rolling boil! 

 

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Posted in CSA, Fall Food, Less is more, Make Ahead, Michigan, Recipes, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Ceci-Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Posted on December 31, 2012 | 1 comment

New Year’s Eve is for two things:  1) resolution making and 2) drinking, heavily.  The day after your first thought:  1) resolving to not EVER drink again….like for real this time, ever.  Right?  So for your hangover cure I did a little research and decided that one of my fave soups can be your cure for what you overdo on NYE.

Nutrient-rich foods that are good to eat with a hangover are bananas, red peppers, broccoli, nuts, and oats. A banana smoothie is an excellent choice, as it acts as a natural antacid as well as replenishing vitamins and minerals. To make one, blend together one ripe banana, one a half cups of nondairy milk, and two tablespoons of honey or agave (for those of you that are strict vegan).

This soup is great.  Protein, vitamins, sits on stove all day without getting icky so you can eat when you get that small window of opportunity when you feel “better” than you did when you woke up at Noon.  Tastes excellent with saltines…see, it’s like perfect.  Take care.

  • 2 large red bell peppers
  • 1 medium size onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. rosemary, dried
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 2 c. tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 3 c. vegetable broth
  • 1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Cut out the stems of the peppers and discard along with the seeds. Stand the peppers in a small baking pan to roast the peppers for 35-50 minutes.
  3. Remove from oven and let cool, additionally, I removed the skin, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
  4. Saute the onion in a large pot in very little oil (or none at all if you like) for 5 minutes until translucent.
  5. Add garlic, rosemary, salt, and black pepper to pot and saute for another minute.
  6. Mix in tomatoes (canned are okay here too, let’s be honest you aren’t going to cut up tomatoes hungover) and stir for another minute.
  7. Add coriander, vegetable broth, and chickpeas and stir.
  8. Bring contents of pot to a low boil and cook covered for 15 minutes or all day…whatever you need/want.
  9. Add the roasted peppers.
  10. Blend half the soup with an immersion blender OR blend about half the soup in a blender, being careful not to let the steam build up in the blender while you are blending, add the blended soup back to the pot.
  11. Let soup sit for a few minutes, taste for salt, and serve.

Adapted from Appetite for Reduction; shown here with bread and goat cheese (omit goat cheese for vegans).

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Posted in Bread, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Make Ahead, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Sriracha Tofu

Posted on December 17, 2012 | 2 comments

Tofu glazed srirachaBorn from boredom as most delicious things are.

Are you ready for the recipe?

Smoking hot pan. Canola and sesame oil splashes. Drop cubed and pressed tofu into pan. Brown on all sides. Toss in one turn of mirin cook till evaporates. Toss in two turns of tamari and one inch of chopped ginger. Cook till tamari evaporates. Add as much Sriracha as you can tolerate cook one more minute and remove from heat.

This photo has wilted kale underneath that was just kale and about a teaspoon of evoo cooked together till wilted-toss in some garlic if you are feelin’ feisty.

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Posted in Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Less is more, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes

Posted on December 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Because there is NO way you are sick of pumpkin yet, right?  This recipe is a blend of 3-4 Spark People recipes for pumpkin pancakes.  The combo of baking soda and baking powder give you fluffy and lighter pancakes despite the heavy pumpkin and whole wheat flour (you could sub white too I suppose).

  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white if necessary)

Combine soy milk with the tsp vinegar in a separate bowl. Give it 5 minutes to curdle – you have just created vegan buttermilk. Stir together pumpkin, spices, water and soy milk in mixing bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and stir JUST UNTIL MOIST, NO LONGER or your batter will become flat, dense and lifeless, like your ex-husband. Let sit 5 minutes to rise and lightly stir again. Let rest 5 more minutes and cook them up as you would regular pancakes.

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Maple Mustard Vinaigrette

Posted on November 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

A Thanksgiving miracle…two blog posts in one week.  I dare you not to put this on everything at your Thanksgiving meal.

Pretty great dressing or dip.  Pretty good FOR you too.

Enjoy.

In a food processor or blender, blend the following until pureed:

  • 2/3 C. maple syrup
  • 1/3 C. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. coarse mustard
  • 1/2 Tsp. salt
  • 1 Tsp pepper
  • Slowly add 1 C. extra virgin olive oil.

I served mine over just about everything from quinoa and chickpea bowls, to brussels sprouts to a salad of roasted squash, onions, apples and pears (shown).  Try it out at Thanksgiving dinner.

Courtesy of Jen & Company, a food and fitness blog.

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Posted in Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Recipes, Salad, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Tamarind Tempeh BBQ with Sweet Potatoes

Posted on November 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you haven’t already been ruined by the appearance of sweet potatoes in just about everything except for your toothpaste, do give this recipe a try.  It’s bbq like all vegans truthfully do miss when no longer eating meat.  Isa delivers another recipe that kicks total ass, it’s all things bbq should be…sticky, tangy and satisfying.  Track down tamarind paste at an ethnic grocery or just stop working do damn hard and order it from Amazon.com already.  It will be on your doorstep in two days which is actually less time then it would take you to drive around until you found it anyway.  Happy lip-smacking.

  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate (Indian spice)
  • 3 tbsp of agave or maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
  • 12 oz Tempeh cut into 3/4 inch chunks
  • 1.5 pounds sweet potatoes also cut into 3/4 chunks

Spray a 9X13 inch glass casserole pan with non-stick cooking spray. Avoid glass. In medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients. Make sure the tamarind is dissolved. Place the sweet potatoes and tempeh in the prepared pan. Pour the sauce over them and use your hand to coat well. Let marinade for an hour at least. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cove the pan with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and toss out the foil. Flip the tempeh and sweet potatoes, making sure to scrape the bottom with a spatula in case anything is sticking. Bake for another 30 minutes, flipping everything once. The sweet potato should be tender but not mushy, the sauce should be thickened and coating everything. Serve.

Number of Servings: 4

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Talkin’ Tempeh

Posted on November 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

I recently found an article, it’s an oldie but a goodie.  I liked so much I thought I reproduce a part of it for you, my faithful followers.  I get bored of tofu this and tofu that and sometimes I just want something toothsome and jerky like.  This texture usually helps make my TLT‘s a little more BLT if you know what I mean.  Tempeh while it’s my newest taco go-to…it’s still an odd vegan duck.  Here are some ways to break it in a little, making it less weird and more yum.  Give it a try.

Methods To The Madness
Tempeh is so so versatile, it takes to just about any cooking method you throw its way. Here are a few methods, along with recipes, to get you started. But feel free to use some of your favorite marinades in place of these. All of the following recipes are for 8 ounces of tempeh and serve 2 to 4 people.

Basic Baked Tempeh
This marinade of basic pantry ingredients works well with any of the cuts of tempeh. Try sandwich slices or serve slabs over a salad or alongside mashed potatoes, gravy and greens.

8 oz tempeh
Marinade:

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

Here’s what you do:
Mix together ingredients and marinate tempeh for at least an hour or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Place tempeh slices on sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once. Spoon extra marinade over tempeh a few times during baking.

Hot Sauce Grilled Tempeh
This tempeh is excellent served with sauteed greens and mashed sweet potatoes. Use a cast iron grill for best results indoors.

  • 8 oz tempeh, in slabs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, if you like a little extra heat)


Here’s what you do:
Mix together ingredients and marinate tempeh for at least an hour or up to overnight.

Preheat a greased grill pan over medium-high heat. To grease it, brush lightly with olive oil or if you have a spray bottle of olive oil, that works, too.

Grill each side for 5 minutes, until dark grill marks appear. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 more seconds.

Sauteed Tempeh With Chard
I’m kind of cheating here because when I serve this for dinner I call it “sauteed,” but when I serve it for brunch I call it “scrambled.” Either way, it’s wonderful paired with roasted butternut squash. For this recipe, cubed tempeh is perfect.

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 16 oz tempeh, cubed
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 a cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme, or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • 4 large leaves Swiss chard, or any leafy green, torn into pieces

Here’s what you do:
Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Saute in 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add red bell pepper, and red onion and drizzle in remaining tablespoon of oil. Saute for about 5 minutes, veggies should be softened but still have a bit of crunch.

Add garlic and thyme, saute for two minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Add swiss chard and saute just until wilted. Serve immediately.

Tempeh Sausage Crumbles
These are perfect for topping pizza or serving over pasta. No need to steam the tempeh for this recipe.

  • 8 oz tempeh
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried margoram or oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon extra olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Here’s what you do:
In a saute pan, crumble the tempeh and add enough water to almost cover it. Over high heat, steam the tempeh until most of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Drain the remaining water, add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Tempeh Bacon
Tempeh bacon is great alongside scrambled tofu and home fries, served over a salad or make a TLT with some vegan mayo – Veganaise grapeseed mayo is a favorite. Use tempeh strips for this.

8 oz tempeh
Marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3/4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • To cook: 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Here’s what you do:
In a wide shallow bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients. Add the tempeh slices and marinade for about an hour.

Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Pan fry the tempeh in oil for about 7 to 10 minutes, flipping occasionally and adding more marinade as you cook. Tempeh is done when it is browned and crispy to your liking.

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Posted in Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Gluten Free, Meat Substitutes, Meatless Monday, Product Review, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Bears, [Vegan] Beet Cupcakes, Battlestar Galactica

Posted on October 29, 2012 | 1 comment

Vegan.  Low-fat.  Cupcake.  I know.  It’s like a dream.  This variation of the classic Southern recipe gets its beautiful color from beets rather than red food coloring-though they are mostly purple, not really red, and would make a stunning hair color…which has me thinking of a new shade.  Anyway, you are here for cupcakes…

For the beets.  I roast a ton of veggies on Sundays for the week so these were leftover and had to be used from that roasting process.  I roasted them at 400 in tin foil balls for about 45-60 minutes, let cool a little de-skinned, left in a baggie in the fridge for a few days, then for this recipe I pureed them in my food processor and it was just over the two cups needed for this recipe.  The original author of one of the recipes I picked over to make this one boiled then grated, then processed in a blender.  To each her own.

FOR THE CAKE:

  • 2 C unsweetened almond or soy milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2½ C all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • ¼ C natural cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ C vegetable oil
  • 2 T pure vanilla extract
  • 2 T unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 large red beets, about 12 ounces, pureed (you should have about 2 cups of beet puree)

FOR THE ICING:

  • 1 C vegan margarine (a nonhydrogenated brand is best), at room temperature
  • 1 C vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 T pure vanilla extract
  • 8 C powdered sugar

OR

This chocolate ganache – which is what I used instead

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.  Mine made exactly 2 and a half dozen.

MIX THE BATTER

Combine the milk and the vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and set aside to curdle. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. After the milk mixture has curdled, add the vegetable oil, vanilla, and applesauce to it, and stir. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix with a hand mixer until no lumps remain. Fold the pureed beets into the batter by hand with a rub­ber spatula until just combined.

BAKE THE CUPCAKES

Fill the lined muffin pans until each cup is three-fourths full of batter. This recipe should make 2 to 2½ dozen cupcakes. Bake cupcakes for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, transfer the cupcakes to a rack, line six compartments of one of the pans with paper liners, fill, and bake the remaining batter.

MAKE THE ICING

Combine the vegan margarine and vegan cream cheese and beat until thoroughly mixed and creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, and incorporate into the creamed mixture. Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the bowl and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.

ICE THE CUPCAKES

Place the cooled cupcakes on a serving tray.

METHOD I:

Using a spatula or a butter knife, spread 2 rounded tablespoons of icing onto the top of each cooled cupcake, swirling to cover the surface of the cupcake.

METHOD II:

Place an icing tip inside a pastry bag. Fill the pastry bag half full of icing. Squeez­ing from the top of the bag, force the icing through the tip onto the top of the cupcakes, swirling the icing around the top of each cupcake.

Serve at room temperature, and refrigerate any leftovers. Will keep for up to four days, refrigerated.

Thanks to many beet cupcake recipe makers before me…I was able to make a great recipe from many other great recipes.

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Lentil Sloppy Joes

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

It’s tailgating season that means…Sloppy Joes.  Last year I posted a recipe using TVP which fooled the meat-eaters for sure, this year I’ll be taking Lentil Sloppy Joes.  Very similar recipe, as I finally got the flavor right, so now, moving on to lentils.  These have a bit of a kick to them, so easy on the chipotle en adobo if you like things a little more mild.  I think dijon, brown, or whole grain mustard would be a great sub for the peppers if you want a kick but no heat.  We shall see how this goes.

Filling:

  • 2 C dried lentils, your choice of lentil
  • 6 C water
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 head garlic

So this part cooks itself.  Take your lentils, give them a hearty rinse under cool water until the water runs clear.  Dump them into your slow cooker with the water, bay leaves and head of garlic with top cut off (keep it intact, so you can drag it out later).  Depending on your lentil, your water will absorb completely, or you will have to strain them before combining with other items below.  Either way, you want to cook your lentils until they are al dente (like pasta), not mush.  For me, in a slow cooker cranked up to high, it was just 3 hours.  I cleaned the house while they cooked.  When they are done, drain the excess liquid from the lentils, toss the bay leaves and garlic, then return the lentils to the slow cooker pot, you will finish cooking this dish in the slow cooker after you assemble the items below.   Next…

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped onion
  • 1/2 C coarsely chopped bell pepper (your choice of color)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 4-oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 T packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Sriracha
  • 2 whole chipotle en adobo, chopped finely
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 4-6 large hamburger buns or rolls or 10-12 slider buns

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used a wok) over medium-high heat.  Cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic through until the bell pepper is tender (8-10 minutes).

Stir the remaining sandwich filling ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add this mix to the cooked and DRAINED lentils in the slow cooker, stir until the mixture is well combined.  Set the slow cooker to high for faster results or low if you have all day and let the mixture thicken.

To serve, spread filling onto a bun and enjoy.

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Posted in BBQ, Bread, Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Vegan Pear Ginger Muffins

Posted on October 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Sometimes what I make is determined by what is available in my kitchen at the moment (then I don’t have to go to the grocery store).  So many pears lately hanging around, hence, vegan pear ginger muffins found their way into the oven.  I was delighted at how little sugar went into these and how they still managed to be slightly sweet, not over- or underwhelming.  The pear makes a for a great break from squash and pumpkin during the fall months.

(make 18 muffins, or 12 muffins and 1 small loaf of bread)

  • 3 C whole grain flour
  • 1/2 – 3/4 C brown sugar, packed
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 ½ C unsweetened almond or soy milk
  • ½ C canola oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 pears, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 – 3/4 C crystallized dried ginger chopped fine

1. Preheat oven to 400° and line a muffin tin with paper cups.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add the wet. Stir until just combined.

3. Fold in the chopped pear and pour batter into prepared pan or cupcake wrappers.  Bake for about 20 minutes, check to see if they are done with a toothpick, you don’t want to overbake else they become dry.

These freeze brilliantly.  I don’t know if I’d let them go longer than about a month, but they will get you through a few weeks of breakfasts nonetheless.

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Many thanks to Gosh, that’s so vegan for the inspiration on the muffins.  I was all pumpkin’d out and pears hit the spot.

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Posted in Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Fall Food, Make Ahead, Quick Cooking, Vegan, Vegetarian

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It’s true…

Posted on September 13, 2012 | 4 comments

I was reading “A vegetarian or vegan may show up at your cookout.  Do not be alarmed” and it got me thinking about the perils of parties for vegans/vegetarians as well as the stresses of having someone show up at your house and you don’t know exactly what to cook for them.

Let me tell you what stresses me out.  People who have parties that are worried about cooking for me.  I know, you are already freaking out about me visiting your house and how it affects your menu.  So I’m telling you to not worry, at all, about me.

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that a handful of hosts have thought about my dietary choices, but let me let you in on a little secret about vegans:  we are already full OR are bringing our own dinner.  No matter what you do.

I’ve been putting fear in the hearts of many hosts for many years.  I’ve been a vegetarian for a long while but only recently, in the last 1-2 years have I made an effort to cook vegan at home.  I tell my friends at VeganGR, that I’m vegan-ish.  I try to eat vegan all of the time, but I am not always successful.  So, I will say that as a rookie veg, I have shown up to a few BBQ’s with a humble side dish and hope for the best, but that is just silly.  Why should you go out of your way as a host to make a veg main dish materialize?  That’s a lot of effort to learn a new style of cooking, and frankly, I mean this in the nicest way possible, you probably won’t get it right anyway.  There are so many people with varying dietary needs out there:  Gluten Free, Gluten Free Vegan,HFC S Free, Vegan, Organic, Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Dairy-Free Omnivores, Raw, people with food allergies that you are never going to get it right dead on without far more effort than any of us “weirdos” actually expect.  We are used to fending for ourselves.  Really.

So while I really appreciate the effort.  Focus on having a stress-free time as a host-worry about the guy who will complain about his burger being overdone or steak underdone and by all means, the chicken…please cook that through and don’t let the juices contaminate the whole party.  You have enough to worry about.    You are already providing us with beer (I hope) and a venue in which to gather with our friends.  Vegans are typically very, very skilled at ferreting out scraps and bites to eat here and there…also, you can rest assured we will have brought something delish to share that your meat-eating friends will also like.  Plus, you have always wanted to try that Seitan/Tofu/Tempeh thing anyway…so I’ll treat it like an educational project if you are willing to try something new.  I’ll craft something delicious to share, have already eaten in preparation for limited noms, or I’ll just drink the night away with these here potato chips and rolls.

Thanks for thinking of us.  We know it’s a pain in the ass that we are different, but we won’t make you also be different just to hang out with us.  I’m just hoping I brought enough of my good stuff to share, as it is usually met with equal parts “I must try this to see if I like it” and “I must try this to mock them about only eating tree leaves and shoots, [only to find out] wait- it’s friggin  delicious.”

So, my dear friend, thank you for hosting, chill out and please be sure to buy some craft beer.  While I won’t complain about the food…I will certainly complain about there only being Bud Light in the cooler.

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Posted in BBQ, Fall Food, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Wahoo! Ride ’em Cowboy Cookies [Vegan]

Posted on September 8, 2012 | 8 comments

Today is Saturday and that means football!  These are a tailgating favorite.  You could dump just about anything you wanted into these in terms of chip, or chip-like substance.  Sub different flavored chocolate chips, use toffee chips, peanut butter chips if you like (the later will flip your cookies from vegan to vegetarian).  I like these because they come together in a flash and the only person that I’ve found that doesn’t like ’em is my friend Andrea and that is because she is allergic to coconut (which is a horrible thing to be allergic to).  I scooped a few out before the coconut so she wouldn’t miss out 😉Image

photo:  Hell Yeah It’s Vegan

Ingredients
  • 2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1½ c vegan butter
  • 1½ c granulated sugar
  • 1½ c light brown sugar
  • 1/2 c applesauce (this subs for your egg and oil)
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 3 c flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 c vegan chocolate chips, Ghiradelli brand is accidentally vegan
  • 3 c rolled oats
  • 2 c chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Measure coconut into a small bowl and stir in 1 tbsp warm water and 2 tbsp sugar; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whip the butter until fluffy, add sugars and cream together until smooth.
  4. Add applesauce and vanilla and beat.
  5. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, powder, soda, and spices.
  6. Add to wet ingredients and beat until well mixed.
  7. Fold in the coconut, nuts, oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
  8. Use an scoop to form balls of dough for jumbo cookies, and flatten slightly.
  9. Bake on greased sheets for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.

Adapted from Hell Yeah It’s Vegan and Vegan Cookies Invade the Cookie Jar by Isa

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Posted in Baking, Dessert, Fall Food, Make Ahead, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Sriracha Tofu

Posted on September 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

I was thinking of a recipe that might be similar in sushi for spicy tuna and this is pretty close.  One night when we were out at Tokyo Grill, I asked the sushi chef what made up the spicy sauce for the tuna and it’s just Sriracha and mayo mixed together.  I bet the texture could be achieved if you cubed the tofu very, very small.  This can be used for make at home sushi or over rice in a bowl, which is a go-to meal for us during the work week with some steamed or stir fried veggies.  This is spicy.  So if you want to dial it down a notch, half the Sriracha or even quarter it depending on your tolerance.  I like this with avocados and kale over brown rice.  It cools it off a little but still tastes tangy.

  • 1 12-oz. pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry, cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • 3 T low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 T Sriracha
  • 1 T white wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
  • 1 T mirin
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 T vegan mayonnaise

1. Heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add half of tofu cubes. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, or until cubes are golden, stirring occasionally. Transfer tofu to plate, and repeat with remaining tofu.

2. Stir together soy sauce, Sriracha, vinegar, mirin, maple syrup, sesame oil.  Return all tofu to pan, and add soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until most of liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in mayonnaise. Serve warm or chilled.

Adapted from vegetariantimes.com

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Posted in Dinner, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Leftovers, Less is more, Make Ahead, Meat Substitutes, Meatless Monday, Quick Cooking, Vegan

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Barley Burgers

Posted on August 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tree Huggers is one of those happy places.  So.  Much.  Happy.  I basically stalked the owner and demanded that she be my friend.  Hey, whatever works. Angela Topp is a lover of vegan eats, IPA and dogs, she’s lovely and skilled at creating partnerships in the Earth-friendly community.   This recipe share is the result of Tree Huggers partnership with Bartertown Diner.  Once a week (in the evening) a chef from Bartertown works at Tree Huggers prepping recipes straight from ingredients available from the cooler (yes, RIGHT IN THE STORE) and then shares a tasty animal-free dish with you.  You can walk out with everything you need to make it from the help of the Bartertown chef as your personal shopper.  How cool is that?!

Enjoy a burger on the grill that didn’t come from a the screaming death of a helpless animal.  Yeah, I just said that.

Black Bean Barley Burger

  • 2 C cooked black beans
  • 2 C cooked barley
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 T Braggs liquid aminos
  • 1 T oil
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • Little rooster vegan buns
  • Ham Family Farm Tomato

1. Cook barley, set aside and allow to cool to a handleable temperature.
2. Cook black beans until soft, mash using a fork or food processor, set aside.
3. Finely chop onions and garlic, Sautée until translucent.
4. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix well.
5. Preheat your oven to 350
6. Form mixture into sizable patties on a greased baking pan.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
8. Allow patties to cool, this helps with binding.
9. Now you have patties for dinner and leftovers for the week!

Feel free to experiment with your own blend on spices.

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Posted in BBQ, CSA, Dinner, Fall Food, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Vegan

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Quick Pickled Peppers

Posted on August 6, 2012 | 1 comment

Even Peter Piper couldn’t pickle a pepper faster than these babies turn out.  I had a few jalapenos leftover from making jalapeno jelly, so I put them to work in a bath of pickling spices.  I can’t wait to try these on a BBQ pizza, nachos or in chili.

  • 1 + 1/4 C water
  • 1 + 1/4 C distilled white vinegar
  • 3 T white sugar
  • 3 T kosher salt, this is NOT the same as iodized or table salt
  • 8 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 tsp dried epazote
  • 3 tsp dried cumin seeds, crushed a little
  • 10 large jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings
  • 2 large red bell peppers, sliced into strips

Directions

  1. Combine water, vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, garlic, epazote, cumin seeds, and oregano in a saucepan over high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stir in jalapeno and red peppers then remove from heat. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Pack peppers into jars using tongs, cover with vinegar mixture, cover, and refrigerate until needed – should keep for up to 6 months.

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This recipe for me yielded 5 (12-oz) jelly jars full of peppers and pickling juice and 2 (12-oz) jars of extra juice that I dropped some baby carrots into for an experiment.

Adapted from Chef John

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Posted in CSA, Fall Food, Fridge Finds, Gluten Free, Less is more, Make Ahead, Quick Cooking, Recipes, Seasonal Ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian

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