Astrani is Hungry

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T07:54:00.001-08:00

There's lots to be thankful for this year. I could go on a rant of gratitude here, but I've already done so other places and I can sum it up here: Friends, Family, and Food!

I've been invited to a friend's house for dinner, so I only had to make a few dishes to bring over. Saved me the trouble of making something with potatoes and/or gravy, and I had it all done in a reasonable amount of time... and ahead of time.

Menu:

Tofu-Almond Loaf with Agave Glaze

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

Crumb Cauliflower

Cheesecake (NOT vegan, but eggless)

Tofu-Almond Loaf with Agave Glaze

1 cup almond meal, toasted
2 TB vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 celery ribs, diced
1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2 cups mashed, pressed firm tofu
1 cup uncooked oat bran
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth, as needed
1/2 cup uncooked Cream of Wheat
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 TB nutritional yeast flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 T. soy sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a loaf pan or 8x8 square baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Toast the almond meal in a skillet over medium heat till lightly browned. Be careful, it's very easy to burn once you get to the browning stage! Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Sauté vegetables in the oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much liquid as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny (you may not need to add any liquid if the grains and protein are very moist). Add more oat bran or cream of wheat as needed if the loaf seems too wet. Mix the glaze ingredients in a separate bowl.

Press loaf mixture into the prepared pan and cover the top evenly with glaze, then bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or platter and slice. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and vegetarian gravy, if desired.

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

1 lb. fresh cranberries (4 cups)
1 cup water
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice

Rinse cranberries and pick out any icky stuff. In large saucepan over med heat, heat water, juice and sugar until boiling, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling 5 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, then add cranberries. Heat to boiling again over medium heat, stirring now and then, about 10 minutes or when the cranberries have sufficiently popped and thickened. (Keep in mind that will be much thicker chilled than when it's still boiling.) Remove from heat, give it a good stir and let stand for about 20 minutes to cool. Pour into bowl and cool completely before refrigerating.

Crumb Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup margarine

1 tube ritz crackers. crushed

Steam cauliflower till soft and put in a serving bowl. Then smash up the crackers and brown them in butter, pour over cauliflower and serve.

Cheesecake

1 graham crust

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. vanilla

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla
1 pt. sour cream

Crust:

1 pack graham crackers (8 long crackers)

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 T brown sugar

Grind crackers into fine crumbs, add melted butter and sugar, mix well and press into 9 inch spring pan. Bake crust separately for 5 minutes at 350 degrees while mixing the filling.

Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoons vanilla. Pour into shell and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Increase oven heat to 400 degrees.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour over cheese mixture and bake 10 minutes, cool. Store in refrigerator.

Breakfast Soup!

2009-08-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, that's sort of a misnomer. It's not exactly a breakfast soup, but I've been making it at breakfast time several days in a row this week, and I love it to pieces. It uses up my leftover veggies, keeps me from skipping breakfast, smells delicious, gets my appetite going, and makes enough that I can eat it for several tasty meals. I also appreciate the fact that it's very light, lacking the processed-ness of bread or tofu. Sometimes you just need your food to be simpler. Your tummy will thank you.

This is the exact version I made today.

Breakfast Soup

2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 small carrots, sliced
1-14 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
3 cans water
2 large vegetable bullion squares
5-6 baby red potatoes, quartered, sliced and rinsed
1-14 oz. can navy beans (including liquid)
1/4 tsp each marjoram, ground thyme and garlic powder
1/2 tsp. agave syrup (sugar would be fine)
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice

In a dutch oven or large saucepan, cook onion in vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat until it starts to soften. Add peppers and carrots and continue stirring over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cooked rice. (Note: rinsing the potatoes will wash off some of the starch and prevent icky foam from forming on top of your soup.) If you're not using leftover rice like I did, you can throw in 1/3 cup or so of uncooked rice at any point before you bring everything to a rolling boil. Once it's boiling pretty good, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. If you're using cooked rice, add in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Delicious with ritz-y crackers, rye toast, or just by itself.

Quick Minestrone

2009-04-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

Lots of "oh crap, it's dinnertime and I have no idea what to cook" recipes creeping in here. Which isn't a bad thing, I suppose. Everyone needs a stash of pantry-heavy staples to fill in when you just don't feel energetic enough to go all-out, or when you lack the fresh ingredients to make something else happen.

This soup is warm, flavorful and easy to slap together. If you were feeling slightly more motivated than I was, you could start by sauteing half a chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic in the pan before you add the other ingredients, and omit the garlic and onion powder.

I was just feeling lazy.

PS. Sorry, my husband and I ate all the soup before I had a chance to take a picture. I'll be sure to immortalize the next batch for you all.

PPS. I dunno if you're "allowed" to use pinto beans and call it minestrone. I don't care either! Kidney beans are not my favorite. I like pintos in something like this. They're more buttery and bland.

Quick Minestrone

1 can petite-dice tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, including liquid
1.5 cans water
1 large vegetable bullion square
1/4 cup green salsa
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
2 small zucchini, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp thyme, oregano, basil and/or marjoram
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup orzo pasta (uncooked) (any small, short pasta will work, I like orzo)

Dump everything into a pot (about 2 quarts should do ya, if you're not using big cans of tomatoes and beans) and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat until the mushrooms and zucchini start to look cooked, about 10 minutes. Then add orzo, stirring well, and bring it back to a boil. Simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the cooking time of the pasta you chose. Serve hot with warm rolls or crackers.

Tofu Breakfast Sandwiches

2009-03-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yum, yum, yum. I haunt VegWeb.com all the time looking for good food porn and new recipes to spark ideas or introduce a little variety in our diet. (You should check it out, it's a really awesome resource for vegetarians. All the recipes and photos are user-submitted, and vegan to boot. It's also got a pretty extensive social network built into it, so if you're looking for veggie forums, this is a place you wanna go.)

This recipe looked promising, and I finally tried it yesterday with a few adaptations and found it to be a really delicious, simple way to prepare tofu. Pressing the tofu for just 30 minutes to an hour keeps the center light and fluffy, replicating the texture of the best egg ever cooked and tossed into a sandwich.

I just ate the sandwich in the picture above. It was tasty and filling, and my husband (who is not a vegetarian, just exceptionally tolerant) raved about how good they smelled and tasted.

Tofu Breakfast Sandwich

1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed

Marinade:
3 T vinegar
1-1/2 tsp country-style dijon mustard (I prefer the brown mustards over regular dijon, they're less bitter)
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 T nutritional yeast
generous sprinklings of turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Cut tofu block in half, making two fat rectangles, then slice each into thirds. You should end up with 6 pieces roughly the size and shape of a deck of cards. In a flat-bottomed bowl just big enough to fit one slice of tofu, mix the marinade ingredients until it makes a thick sauce. Dredge each piece in the marinade til coated and drop into a skillet on medium heat, scooping any remaining marinade over the slices. Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until browned. If you like, put a small piece of non-dairy cheese on each tofu slab after turning and let it melt in while the bottom finishes cooking.

Serve on a warm soft roll or toast with a little vegan mayo, or with tomato and avocado slices. Makes enough for 3 hearty servings, or 6 small ones. I bet they'd be pretty fantastic on a homemade biscuit with a vegan sausage patty, too... *drool*

One-Pot Spinach and Pasta

2009-02-12T05:02:00.000-08:00

This is another one of those recipes that you can make when you have literally nothing fresh in the house... you just need a few essentials from the pantry and freezer, and a few basic seasonings to make it happen. Of course, adding strips or chunks of mock chicken and some kick-ass tofu ricotta makes it that much better. My 7 year old absolutely loves this, tomatoes, spinach and all, and will eat as much as I let him. (I try to make sure he doesn't eat so much that he comes to me afterward clutching his belly and saying "I hurt my body..." again.)

Here are some extra tips, since I'm feeling excessive this morning:

If you like it, double the spinach for extra veggie love here... those little boxes of plain frozen spinach are a fantastic deal at around $1 each, and packed full of vitamins and minerals.
Make this extra-nice if you *do* have fresh produce. Chop an onion and saute it with a clove or two of fresh minced garlic, then add 1/2-1 lb of sliced mushrooms or zucchini and stir till the veggies are cooked. Complete the recipe as follows (omitting the onion and garlic powder, of course).
I "thaw" my spinach by dropping the sealed plastic pouch into the pasta water and taking it out when it boils.

One-Pot Spinach & Pasta

1 lb medium shell pasta, cooked (rotini and macaroni work great too)

1 package frozen spinach, thawed
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can navy beans, drained
2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped chicken substitute (optional)
1 recipe Basil-Tofu Ricotta (also optional)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional but delicious)
1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder
1/2 tsp each thyme, basil and oregano or 1 T italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions while you open cans and get out your sauce ingredients. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside. Add all other ingredients to the now-empty pasta pot (hooray, fewer dishes) and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Taste it for salt now- this is important, since a lot of these ingredients can vary widely in salt content and once you put it in, you can't take it back out! When you're satisfied with the tastiness of your sauce, add the drained noodles back to the pot and stir well. Makes a LOT, and refrigerates very well for leftovers. Serve by itself, or with garlic bread and a salad.

Better-Than-Sausage Gravy

2008-11-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

(Pulled this recipe for further testing. Sorry guys! It's just not quite right!)

Cabbage Soup

2008-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

I love cabbage soup. It's easy to make, and warms you up on a cold day. I wish I'd added a handful of barley or brown rice to this while it was simmering, but it was delicious without. We ate it with buttered whole wheat toast.

Cabbage Soup

2-3 T vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, quartered and sliced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 head small/medium cabbage, halved, cored and coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, including liquid

8 cups vegetable stock -OR- 8 cups water and 2 large vegetable bullion squares

a few pinches of thyme, marjoram, and freshly ground black pepper
season salt to taste

In a large pot, saute onion in oil on medium heat until it just starts to soften. Add garlic and cook another two minutes, until fragrant, then add celery, carrot and pepper. Stir another few minutes until the veggies are bright and fragrant, then dump in the cabbage, chickpeas, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.

If you want to add brown rice or barley, just throw 1/2 cup in with the cabbage and make sure they're tender before serving.

Crispy Tofu "Egg"

2008-10-27T06:23:00.001-07:00

I had a block of pressed tofu that was threatening to go bad on me (how can you tell? Just before it starts to turn, it'll smell faintly of corn. *cue "The More You Know" logo*). I wished for an egg sammich but since none was forthcoming I sliced this stuff up and threw in a little bit of whatever sounded good from my cabinets. Oh man. I've never tried this combination of spices before, but I loved it! They turned out so crispy-crunchy and good. I stacked three of them up on half a warm, buttered roll and ate them for breakfast. That's some good noms.

Crispy Tofu "Egg"

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed

1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp turmeric (just a pinch or two for color)
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
sesame oil
1 T vegetable oil

Slice tofu brick in half width-wise, then cut each half into 4 thin slices across making 8 thin, flat tofu slices, roughly 2"x3". Put in a large ziploc bag and pour in a few drops of sesame oil and about 1 T. or so of vegetable oil and toss to coat on all sides. Next, mix together a few pinches of each spice. (I listed measurements here but really, it's not rocket surgery. Just use a little of everything!) Toss spices in with the tofu, again making sure all slices are evenly coated. Place in a medium-hot frying pan and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until crispy and browned.

Serve hot with whole-grain rolls and a side of grilled asparagus.

Kiwi Jam

2008-10-06T05:15:00.000-07:00

Mom brought me a copy of the Vegetarian Times while I was in the hospital, and it was chock-full of really amazing recipes. I got the idea for this pretty speckled green jam out of that magazine, but scaled it down and skipped the canning process. Because of this, I recommend storing it in the fridge or freezer. I don't know how long it keeps, but since the recipe yields a bit less than two cups, it should go quickly... use it as a topping for ice cream, between cake layers, on toast, pancakes or even on a good ol' PBJ. You can even stir a spoonful into your favorite salsa and eat on tortilla chips. But you don't need me to tell you what to do with jam, do you? Eat it hot right out of the pan, I won't tell.

Kiwi Jam

5-6 ripe kiwifruit, peeled and halved
1 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Mash kiwi until smooth. In a saucepan, stir kiwi, sugar and lemon juice together and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes or until thickened. (It will set up a bit thicker when chilled.) Pour into a clean container (I like to use an empty margarine tub, gets more mileage out of that plastic!) and stick it in the fridge.

I'm back!

2008-09-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

I had surgery to remove my poor gallbladder, the sickly thing, and now I am heaps better. Hooray! Now that I can really cook (and EAT!) again, I'll be able to post a new recipe soon(ish). Thanks mom, for helping me out when I needed it! <3

Things on my sick food list that I have eaten since I got out of the hospital:

Pizza crust
Chili Mac
Seasoned potato wedges
Tater tots
Guacamole
Buttered toast
Mexican rice

Better get crackin' on the rest of my list. AFK >_>

Sick Food

2008-09-11T06:29:00.001-07:00

So I'm sick. Oh, and it's not too nice. It's okay, I have drugs and such, but I'm reduced to eating baby food and lemon-lime soda and clear vegetable broth for the foreseeable future. It's sad-making. I would post a recipe here for something good to eat when you are sick, but there is nothing. At this point I can eat canned green beans and mushrooms and call it a feast, and a cooked noodle is bliss. So! Instead, I'm going to list alllll the yummy things I wish I could eat, but can't.

Peas fresh from the pod
Ripe tomatoes with salt
Pizza crust
Strawberry shortcake
Tofu ricotta
Chocolate-chip cookie
Cucumber sandwich
Chili Mac
Seasoned potato wedges
Tater tots
Guacamole
Buttered toast
Roasted asparagus
Lemony Brussels Sprouts
Cinnamon apples
Mexican rice
Cornbread

... I could keep going. There are so many foods out there and they are so delicious it really only takes a day or two of eating strained bananas and rice to fully appreciate it.

EAT A PIZZA FOR ME. PLEASE.

But make it a veggie pizza. Also for me. Because I love you.

Chili Mac

2008-08-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

This ain't gourmet. This is "we need to go shopping, TOMORROW" food, but it's tasty and you can make it with a few ingredients from your spice cupboard and pantry. We eat this once or twice a month at my house. If you have an onion (I usually do), chop it up and saute it in the margarine before adding the other ingredients.

Chili Mac

1/2 lb dried pasta, cooked
1/4 cup margarine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans in sauce (plain pinto beans work too)
1 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder (the blend, not straight-up red pepper)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a saucepan, mix margarine, tomatoes, beans and spices and bring to a boil; add nutritional yeast, cooked pasta and stir. Remove from heat and serve.

Banana Cake

2008-08-23T19:31:00.001-07:00

Moist, sweet and dense, this cake is easy to make and so tasty... like little spiced banana brownies. It holds up really well and has a creamy, almost custard-like texture on top after a day or so. I want to try making this with cocoa powder sometime and see if it's as good as it sounds!

Banana Cake

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 T pumpkin pie spice
1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3)
3/4 cup soy milk with 1 T apple cider vinegar mixed in (let sit a minute or two before adding to batter)
2/3 cup vegetable shortening (can reduce to 1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla

Grease and lightly flour a 9x13" baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cut sugar into shortening until fluffy. Add remaining wet ingredients and blend with a mixer or whisk until smooth.
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer, again, until the batter is smooth. Pour into the floured 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool thoroughly on a rack before serving.

Basil-Tofu Ricotta

2008-08-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

Mom got me a copy of Vegan with a Vengeance for Christmas last year, and I've found some real gems in there. This seasoned tofu is so, so good... the author recommends putting it on pizza or stuffing it into pasta shells, but I also like it on crackers, in sandwiches and I've even sort of eaten it right out of the bowl. >_>

Basil-Tofu Ricotta

1 lb firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
dash of freshly-ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 c nutritional yeast

In a large bowl, mush the tofu, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil thoroughly with your hands until it's about the consistency of ricotta cheese. This may take 2-5 minutes! Next, add the olive oil and nutritional yeast and stir well. Don't use your hands for this part, you'll get all sticky. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

(Note: I've had success using a fork to mash this, if I don't feel like getting my hands dirty. It's a bit more lumpy, which makes it a perfect substitute for egg salad. Do yourself a favor and make a sandwich out of this. I just ate one. It was friggin' good.)

Split Pea Soup

2008-08-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry mom. I didn't like split pea soup, even though you made it with love. It was green, grainy mush with creepy ham bits in it. I'm sure it's not really as bad as I remember it being when I was a kid, but gawd I would have eaten grass off the front lawn instead, if I'd had a choice! Recently, I went to the Atlanta farmer's market and saw a bag of dry yellow split peas and decided that for under a buck, I could give 'em another shot. It was totally worth it! This soup is colorful, flavorful and delicious... even Ethan loved it.

Split Pea Soup

1 lb dry yellow split peas, sorted and rinsed
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 large vegetable bullion square
1 tsp salt
several dashes freshly-ground black pepper
8 cups water

Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, then add carrot and celery and cook another 5 minutes or so, until soft. Add remaining ingredients (or transfer to a large soup pot, if you're not using the same pan) and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmering for 45 minutes to an hour, until peas are very tender and falling apart. (Some people recommend putting some or all of the soup through a blender, but I like the texture as is.) Serve hot with whole-grain toast or dinner rolls, yum.

Spicy Lemon Marinara

2008-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Is it dinnertime already? What's in the kitchen? Half a lemon, ruffly pasta, can of tomatoes. A couple nights ago I was too hungry to care if it would be weird... put enough sugar or salt in something and it'll turn out okay, right? Well, it was tangy, sweet and with just enough spice to warm me up. I bought a whole bag of lemons to keep experimenting. Enjoy!

Spicy Lemon Marinara

1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 can petite-dice tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
2-3 tsp dried herbs (any combination of basil, thyme, rosemary, and/or oregano)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
a few shakes of red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Put oil in a large, shallow pan over medium-high heat, add onion and saute until fragrant and just starting to turn translucent (about 3 minutes), then add garlic and mushrooms. Cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and the mushrooms are cooked through. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, herbs, lemon juice, and pepper flakes. When it bubbles, add salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp), turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes while you cook your pasta. Add water to thin the sauce, if needed. Serve over the hot, cooked pasta of your choice, with steamed asparagus or broccoli and garlic bread.

Antipasti Pasta Salad

2008-07-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

My mom buys marinated artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes in huge jars, so every time I visit her I make a big bowl of this tangy pasta salad using generous scoops of each. It's so good! This recipe makes a huge bowl of salad, perfect for a potluck, or just eating for lunch all week long.

Antipasti Pasta Salad

1 lb rotini (or your favorite curly pasta)
2 cups broccoli florets
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups marinated artichoke hearts, halved or quartered
1 cup sundried tomato strips, packed in oil
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (white or red), OR 1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to directions, using the minimum cooking time listed (your pasta will absorb dressing and soften over time, so you want it to be al dente!). Add your broccoli and carrots in with the noodles for the last 2 minutes of cooking to blanch them (this will save you an extra cooking pot). Drain pasta and veggies in a colander and immediately run cold water over them until they are completely cooled, to prevent overcooking. Leave the colander to drain while you prepare the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir, then add the drained, cold pasta/veggies and mix well. Store in a sealed container in the fridge at least an hour before serving. It will keep for about a week, and the flavor gets even better after a day or two.

Taco Soup

2008-07-19T20:11:00.000-07:00

My great-aunt Joanne first made this soup for a family gathering, and mom liked it so much she asked for the recipe and we've been using it ever since. It was really easy to adapt for vegetarians, I just left out the ground beef and added a variety of canned beans. Part of the beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity... you just dump everything in a pot, liquid included. Instant comfort food!

Taco Soup

1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can sliced black olives
2 cans tomatoes (I use petite dice)
1 can green beans
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 packets taco seasoning (adjust to taste!)
1/2 cup dry macaroni

Toppings (optional):
fritos
vegan sour cream and/or shredded cheese

In a large soup pot/dutch oven on medium-high heat, dump everything but the macaroni and stir. DON'T DRAIN THE CANNED STUFF. Just dump it all in the pot, liquid and all. (Tip: just add one packet of taco seasoning to start. If it doesn't taste quite spicy/salty enough with one, add more from a second packet until it's just right.) When it comes to a boil, add macaroni, stir, and turn down heat a little so it doesn't boil over. When the noodles are cooked, turn off heat. If the soup is too thick, you may want to add some water to thin it out a little. Serve in bowls with or without toppings.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

2008-07-04T12:28:00.001-07:00

I needed something vegetarian to bring to today's 4th of July BBQ, and mom suggested a cold salad made with black-eyed peas. There are a lot of recipes for it online using fresh veggies, canned peas and a vinaigrette-type dressing, but I like my peas home-cooked. They've got a better texture that way, but you could use frozen ones too, with similar results.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

2 cups dry black-eyed peas
2 medium roasted peppers, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup grated carrot

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (red is fine, white just tastes cleaner and brighter)
2 T spicy brown mustard
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp parsley (or 1 T. fresh)
freshly-ground black pepper

Soak the peas for 4 hours, then rinse, cover with fresh water in a pot, add 2 tsp salt, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes until tender. Rinse cooked beans with cold water and drain while you prep the veggies and dressing. (My dad grilled a red and an orange bell pepper for me on his grill, which turned out awesome! But you can use jarred peppers too, if you aren't so lucky.) Mix peas and vegetables together in a large bowl, taking care not to mash the beans up too much. Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then toss with the pea mixture till well-mixed. Cover and let sit in the fridge at least an hour before serving.

Ginger-Lime Tofu

2008-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

If you chill and reheat this, the tofu tastes eerily like chicken breast. It is awesome. (PS: Sorry the pic is sucky. I'll replace it when I can =D)

Ginger-Lime Tofu

1 block firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 broccoli crown, trimmed and cut into small florets
5 baby carrots, sliced
3 large button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 small-medium summer squash, quartered and sliced
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
dash pepper
1/4 c nutritional yeast
2 T soy sauce
juice of 1/2 a lime (fresh is best)

Cut tofu into 1/4" slices. Cut slices in half to make squares, then cut the squares diagonally to make triangles. Toss in a large pan on medium-high heat and drizzle with half the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely golden-brown on all sides. It may take a while :) Set tofu aside and cook the vegetables in the remaining oil, starting with onion, adding garlic when the onion becomes translucent. When garlic is fragrant, add broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is cooked on the outside but still raw in the middle, then add squash and peppers. When vegetables are tender, add ginger, black pepper, and nutritional yeast, stirring until incorporated, then add soy sauce and lime juice. Remove from heat and stir well. Serve immediately, or chill and reheat.

Mock Tuna Salad

2008-06-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get a craving for a tuna sandwich. You know, the kind that's loaded with mayo and pickle relish and chunks of... oh, right. Tuna. WELL! I've found that garbanzo beans make a good substitute in sandwich spreads. The texture is similar and the flavor is close (minus the fishy part... does that even make sense?!), just mash your beans and dress them up the same way you would a can of drained tuna. I like to put mine on toasted grainy bread.

Mock Tuna Salad

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 T. sweet pickle relish
2-3 T. onion, minced
1-2 T. vegan mayonnaise
1-2 tsp. whole-grain mustard (I use Grey Poupon country style)
celery salt
freshly ground black pepper

Dump your garbanzo beans into a medium-sized bowl and mash with a fork until most of the beans are broken up. It's ok if there are a few whole beans left! Add the rest of the ingredients to taste and mix well, then cover and chill until ready to use.

Hummus

2008-05-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

A lot of people I've known tend to dismiss hummus out-of-hand as a "hippie food", something that only smug, self-satisfied martyrs are willing to put into their undernourished mouths. Oh, and I guess those guys in the middle east somewhere eat it too, right? Sometimes I want to swat these people. Hummus is, in essence, BEAN DIP. An exceptionally awesome bean dip, at that. You can shovel it in using raw vegetables, eat it with chips, crackers or bread, or even slather it on sandwiches. It's just that good. This recipe tastes a lot like the hummus my Jordanian teacher used to bring for school functions, and is really easy to make.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed, liquid reserved
1 large clove garlic, pressed
3 T. tahini (ground sesame seeds)
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste

In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients EXCEPT the bean liquid and salt until smooth. EDIT: Turns out the hummus comes out smoother and creamier if you start by blending the tahini with the lemon juice first. This emulsifies the tahini and gives it a really great texture! Next, add the garlic and whip until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients now, using the reserved liquid to thin the mixture as you blend it. You could need anywhere from 3 T. to a half cup of liquid, depending on how thick you like your hummus. Taste before adding salt. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge until ready to use.

You want to avoid oversalting this! I've done it before. It's pretty tough to enjoy eating overly-salted hummus with salty crackers. Try adding some roasted peppers and/or a teaspoon of cumin powder, or serve with extra olive oil and paprika on top for something different.

Banana Bread

2008-05-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

I just kinda whipped this up today because I had a lot of very brown bananas that needed to be used, and it turned out pretty good. It's dense and moist, not too sweet, but sweet enough, and would have been great with walnuts or chocolate chips, or both. (If you want to try it that way, just add a cup of each to the batter!)

Banana Bread

4 large or 5 medium bananas, very ripe
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. turbinado sugar
1/2 c. water
2 T. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl, then add applesauce, sugar, water, molasses, vanilla, and oil and stir. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the wet mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, but avoid over-mixing. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting (I cut the sheet lengthwise in half, then make thick slices across). Makes many servings, tasty plain or spread with a little Earth Balance margarine.

Tofu Scramble

2008-04-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

When I decided to give up meat, I went to the store and bought a bunch of vegetarian foods to experiment with a whole new genre of cooking. It was exciting! ... but I wasn't sure what to think of the squishy white bricks of bean curd in my fridge until I tried a scramble recipe I found online. I've used a ton of variations on that simple recipe for a year now, and it's always come out delicious. This version is flavored with fenugreek, a potent spice that's really growing on me.

Tofu Scramble

1 block firm tofu
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 lb. button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp ground savory (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 T. soy sauce

Crumble the tofu into chunks, squeezing out excess water before tossing into a large frying pan on medium-medium high heat. Drizzle oil over the tofu and stir well. (I almost always add oil to a hot pan AFTER I put in the tofu. Tofu is, well, full of water, and it spatters like crazy if you just drop it into hot oil. Ouch!) Stir often, breaking up big chunks into smaller pieces, until the water really starts to cook off and the tofu starts to turn golden. Add onion and garlic and stir until slightly translucent, then add peppers and mushrooms. When the mushrooms are cooked through, sprinkle fenugreek, savory and turmeric over all, add soy sauce and stir well. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, if desired and serve with Earth Balance margarine on whole-grain toast.

Black-Eyed Peas with Quinoa

2008-04-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

I never had black-eyed peas till I'd lived in the south for over 6 years. A friend made some for our Thanksgiving get-together and made them vegetarian especially for me. After taking home the leftovers and eating them over the next week (there was a lot!) I got hooked. Turns out they're really easy to make, and you can whip up a huge pot of food for under $2.

A second, related story: another friend gifted me with a 25 lb. sack of quinoa that was going unused in her church's foodbank. (This is the south, seems like nobody's even heard of quinoa, much less wants to eat it.) Unfortunately, I am not overly familiar with the seedy little grain-thing myself, so I wasn't really sure what to do with it. It's got an odd flavor that I just couldn't pin down... until I tried those black-eyed peas. It's almost eerie how similar they are.

Yesterday I cooked a huge pot of quinoa so I could have a little with my breakfast, figuring I'd use the rest later to test new recipes. This morning I soaked up a pound of black-eyed peas, cooked them up and served them with a big scoop of quinoa mixed into each bowl. It was great! The flavors complement each other well, and the textures are more interesting than when you use rice as an accompaniment. Makes a really nice, high-protein dish that almost cooks itself.

Black-Eyed Peas with Quinoa

1 lb black-eyed peas, sorted, rinsed, and soaked (they don't take too long to rehydrate, I think mine are usually ready to cook within 4 hours)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced fine or pressed
2 carrots, shredded
3 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1 vegetable bouillon square
water to cover
season salt to taste

Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water

You can make your quinoa in advance. It's very simple, just put one part quinoa with two parts water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. I stored mine in the fridge till it was ready to use.

Put your black-eyed peas in a bowl, sort out any rocks or mutant peas and rinse them thoroughly. Cover with cold water and let stand for around 4 hours, till doubled in size. Saute the onion in a teaspoon of vegetable oil until fragrant, add garlic and cook, stirring often, until soft. Add carrots and celery and cook for a couple more minutes. Add peas, bouillon, and just enough water to cover, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes, or until tender. Add your favorite season salt to taste. (I usually put in several good shakes... serving this over unsalted quinoa can dilute the seasoning quite a bit. Plus I love salt.)

Serve over warmed quinoa with green beans and a little nutritional yeast on top, if you like it. Yum!

French Bread Pizza

2008-04-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

This one is easy and delicious. It also lends itself to the addition of cheese, if you're into that sort of thing.

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf french or italian bread
1/2 can crushed pineapple, juice-packed, drained and lightly squeezed
6 large button mushrooms, sliced
1 small can sliced black olives
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

Pizza sauce:
1 6oz can tomato paste
1/4 c water
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
dash of powdered rosemary and/or red pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice bread lengthwise into two halves and set on a cookie sheet, cut side up. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare your other toppings. Spread sauce on bread (there should be enough for a nice thick layer on both pieces). Sprinkle pineapple over the sauce (it's important that you squeeze out some of the juice so it doesn't make your pizza soggy. Alternately, you could use tidbits or omit pineapple altogether. We like crushed pineapple because it spreads out well and sort of conceals the lack of cheese), followed by mushrooms, olives and artichoke hearts. Bake for 15-20 minutes. It'll be done when the pizza starts to brown nicely around the edges. Cut into chunks and serve with raw tomato slices on top.

Totally Taco Salad

2008-04-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

I hate to put up another salad recipe and perpetuate the myth that vegetarians only ever eat salads, but it was really tasty, used up some of my leftover rice, and my kid ate a big bowl of the stuff. That's gotta be a sign!

Totally Taco Salad

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup cooked rice, chilled
1/4 cup salsa
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)
1 large romaine heart, washed and shredded
1 green onion, thinly sliced
12 tortilla chips, crushed

Cheater Sauce:
2 T. vegan mayonnaise
4 T. taco sauce
dash of garlic powder, onion powder and cumin to taste

Toss the rice, beans, salsa, yeast and sauce together till thoroughly mixed. Stir in lettuce, onion, and crushed chips just before serving. Should feed two adults as a main dish.

Ethan's Ribbon Salad

2008-03-19T07:08:00.001-07:00

My son has always been pretty picky about what foods he will eat, but I've been wearing him down over the last year or so, trying to get him to try new things by preparing them in different ways. I made a simple salad using my peanut dressing and was happy to find that he would tolerate eating more than just a bite, so I've added it to my regular recipe rotation. The trick is, I think, in shredding the lettuce. It turns it into little green ribbons that have a fun texture and coat well using very little dressing.

Ethan's Ribbon Salad

1 head romaine lettuce (or two romaine hearts)
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/4 c. sliced almonds
2 tsp. flax seeds
1-2 T. Tangy Peanut Dressing (to taste)

Wash the romaine and shake off as much excess water as you can. Blot leaves dry with a clean towel and stack on a cutting board, holding the leaves together in a tight bundle, and slice thinly across. (I like my threads to be about as wide as a linguine noodle, maybe a little smaller... I just eyeball it!) Toss in a medium-large bowl with the green onion. You can refrigerate the salad here, or let it sit for a while to let the onion flavor to come out a bit. When you are ready to serve the salad, top with almonds, flax seeds, and dressing and toss till coated. I use the minimum amount of dressing on this salad, as it's pretty potent and I don't like the other flavors in the salad to be overwhelmed.

You can also add shredded carrot, thinly sliced celery, or peeled and seeded cucumber chunks to your salad and it will be fabulous.

Tangy Peanut Sauce & Dressing

2008-03-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

This is a great all-purpose sauce to have on hand. Just store it in a reused peanut butter jar like I do, and thin it with water or oil depending on how you use it. I love it on noodles and salads :)

Tangy Peanut Sauce & Dressing

2/3 c. smooth, unsweetened peanut butter (I use Maranatha brand)
1/3 c. seasoned rice vinegar
1/3 c. soy sauce
2 T. olive oil
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. maple or cane syrup
pinch red pepper

Whisk ingredients till smooth and store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

How to press tofu!

2007-10-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know everyone's new to tofu at some point. I'm going to attempt to explain how one goes about pressing the much-maligned bean curd here, for reference. This is my method, which I've perfected over the course of a year of working with the stuff. It'll press your tofu into a very dense little brick that fries up chewy and crisp, or that you can squish into mock ricotta cheese.

You want to start with a tray of extra firm tofu. Not the little shelf-stable boxes, but the kind you have to refrigerate. (Golly, this would be better with pictures, huh?) Cut the plastic open and drain, then turn out the tofu onto a cutting board. Wrap the block in a paper towel, nothing fancy... just make sure the big sides are covered. The sides don't mater much. Next, take a dry, very clean dishtowel and roll it around the tofu. You want a nice little bundle that lies flat, go ahead an experiment with different folds to see what works best for your towel size.

Next, you want something heavy and preferably small. I'm a big cheater and have a 4"x4" block of steel from my jewelrysmithing days, and it weighs a ton so I just keep it in a ziploc bag and put it on my tofu bundle. You can experiment with books, or use a small plate or pan and put a couple cans of beans or something on top. Anything that's heavy and fairly compact will do. If it's too big, it tends to tip to one side or the other and can leave you with lopsided tofu. Nobody wants that!

Once you've got something heavy resting on your tofu, go read some new recipes or clean the kitchen, or maybe read a book. Watch a movie or go shopping, whatever you like, because you're going to want to press that puppy for at least an hour. I usually leave mine pressing for 3 hours (or longer, if I forget...). Once it's pressed to your liking, take off the sopping-wet dishtowel, peel off the paper towel, and use or store in the fridge till you need it. To store it, put it in a flat-bottomed container and cover with clean water. It won't reabsorb the water, I promise!

Now you are ready tomake some pretty awesome tofu recipes!