Sunday, March 28, 2010

Chocolate Pudding - Heavenly



Need I say more?

Chocolate Pudding - Meat & Potatoes Vegetarian cookbook (Robin Robertson)
This can also be used as a pie filling.

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar or natural sweetener
1 12 oz. package silken tofu, crumbled (the firmer the tofu, the firmer the pudding)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon or tablespoon cocoa powder (my addition - optional)

Place the chocolate chips and sugar in the top of a double boiler and heat over gently simmering water until the chocolate is melted stirring to blend. Set aside to cool.

Place the tofu and cocoa powder (optional) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and process until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.

Spoon the pudding into individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Spoon the pudding






Asparagus & Hot Tempeh Salad Casserole



Casual dinner with the folks. This recipe came from my mom and I replaced the tasteless chicken with breaded, pan fried Tempeh. My dad loved it, and he's by far my toughest critic. Casserole is topped with grated "fake" cheddar and fried onions.



Hot Tempeh Salad Casserole

1 pkg. Tempeh (boiled in Veg. broth for 10 min.)

¼ c. Soy Sauce

¼ c. Panko or Regular Bread Crumbs

Olive Oil for Frying

1 c. Button Mushrooms

½ c. Slivered Almonds

1 c. Slivered Water Chestnuts

½ c. Jarred Pimento

3 T. Lemon Juice

¼ t. Celery Salt

1 c. Soy Mayo

1 Medium Can Fried Onion Rings, Crumbled

1 c. Grated Cheddar

Salt and Pepper

Let Tempeh cool after boiling in Veggie broth for approx. 10 min.

Cut Tempeh into slices, then split the slices.

Put Tempeh slices into bowl and pour enough soy sauce to soak into

Tempeh. Cover Tempeh with Panko crumbs.

In large skillet, cover bottom with Olive Oil, add breaded Tempeh slices

and fry until brown, turning once.

In small bowl, mix Mayo, Lemon Juice, Celery Salt and Salt and Pepper

to taste.

When Tempeh is browned, mix Tempeh, Mushrooms, Almonds,

Water Chestnuts, ½ can of Fried Onion Rings – crumbled and ½

of cheese. Mix all together with Mayo Mixture. Put mixture into

Casserole dish. Top with remaining crumbled Onion Rings and

Grated Cheese.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.



Saturday, March 27, 2010

Lemony Roasted Potatoes

Try these potatoes with the Chickpea Cutlets.

Lemony Roasted Potatoes (Veganomicon)

2 ½ lbs. Russet potatoes (med/small)

1/3 c. Olive Oil

6 cloves Garlic, chopped finely

½ c. Lemon Juice

1 c. Vegetable Broth

2 t. Dried Oregano

2 t. Salt

1 t. Tomato Paste

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped parsley optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel the potatoes, slice

in half lengthwise, and slice each half into wedges no

more than ¾” thick.

In large, deep baking pan, combine olive oil, garlic,

lemon juice, vegetable broth, oregano, salt and tomato

paste. Add the peeled, sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with

ground black pepper and toss the potatoes to cover

with the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil or lid,

place in the oven, bake for 30-35 min. until the potatoes

are almost done. Stir potatoes several times during

cooking process.

Uncover pan, stir the potatoes then bake uncovered

for an additional 15 – 20 minutes, until most of sauce has

evaporated. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Lentil Soup


Lentil Soup: This is a pretty quick soup to make and gets better as it sits. I added a touch of Balsamic Vinegar and some Tempeh bacon at the end of cooking for a smokey flavor. I also think adding the spices to the onion, garlic and oil mixture rather than to the stock intensifies the flavors.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Pumpkin Pancakes



Breakfast is always great for dinner, at least at our house it is. We started our day with Vegan Brunch at Inn Season and ended the day with Vegan Pancakes at home, can't beat that!!!

Pumpkin Pancakes (Vegan Brunch Cookbook- Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

¾ c pureed or canned pumpkin

2 T canola oil

¾ c almond or any non dairy milk

½ c water

2 t apple cider vinegar

2 T pure maple syrup

1 t vanilla extract

1 c all-purpose flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

¼ t ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves (optional)

Walnuts (optional)

********************

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, milk, water,

vinegar, maple syrup and vanilla. Ad the flour, baking powder, salt,

and spices. Mix until there are very few clumps left. Be careful not to

overmix.

Preheat large skillet for 3 minutes. Spray pan with light coat of non

stick spray. Pour pancakes in ½ cup measurements, one at a time,

and cook until the top looks somewhat dry (about 3 min.). Flip over

and cook for another minute.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Patrick's Irish Soda Bread


Patrick's Irish Soda Bread:

Although this particular recipe isn't Vegan, it looks so wonderful that I'm determined to veganize it. He added white raisins for just a touch of sweetness.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Jennifer's Vegan Biscotti


Looking forward to Jennifer sending me the recipe so I can try my hand at it.
I'm a bit intimidated but up for the challenge. Something to try out on a cold, rainy Saturday. The photo also reminds me to cut some Forsythia branches before they bloom and bring inside for a little pick me up.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Curry Tempeh Salad

This is a great sandwich mix. The Tempeh
can also be cut into larger chunks and served as "Mock Chicken" salad on lettuce. We make this every week!!
Curry Tempeh Salad
Veg. broth to cover Tempeh in small pan. If using water, add a dash of soy sauce for flavor.
1 pkg. Tempeh
Olive Oil
1 Green Onion Chopped
1 Celery Chopped
¼ Walnuts Chopped
½ cup Mayo
1 tsp Agava
½ T curry powder
¾ t fresh grated ginger
salt to taste

Heat enough broth to cover Tempeh.
Cook Tempeh in boiling water for 8-10 min.
When cool, slice in half - length wise then into pieces. I chop smaller for sandwiches.
Heat oil in saucepan and brown the cut up tempeh. Add a pinch of ground pepper and salt. This brings out the nuttiness in the tempeh.
Add diced Green Onion, Celery and Walnuts to Tempeh.
Prepare Dressing: In separate bowl, mix mayo, Agava, Curry Powder and Grated Ginger. Add to Tempeh and mix. Salt to taste.
***Variation: For more of a Tuna Fish taste, omit Honey, Curry Powder, and Ginger and add Soy Sauce to Mayo.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Cousin Jennifer's Chocolate Chip Cookies


Chocolate Chip Cookies (from cousin Jennifer)

(Dreena Burton’s Homestyle)

1 c unbleached all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

1 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

¼ c unrefined sugar

¼ t sea salt

1/3 c pure maple syrup

¼ t blackstrap molasses

1 t pure vanilla extract

¼ cup canola oil

1/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined.

Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips and stir through until just well combined (do not over-mix).

Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little.

Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out).

***I like to add chopped walnuts or pecans!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Lasagna



The no boil rice noodles came out great! The key to the noodles turning out is to make sure all noodles are covered with sauce.
Time to dig in.