Spinach Dip

There are all sorts of spinach dip recipes out there and I love to experiment.  The addition of water chestnuts gives this dip a great crunchy surprise in every bite!

Spinach Dip

1            6 oz. bag spinach

1            carrot, small dice

2            green onions, small dice

1            small can water chestnuts, diced

1            cup vegan sour cream

1/3-1/2  cup vegan mayo

              dash onion powder

             garlic powder to taste

             squirt of lemon juice

             salt and pepper

In a sauce pan with a touch of water or oil, cook down the spinach.  Should only take a few minutes.  Set aside in medium bowl.

Dice the carrot, green onions and water chestnuts.  Add to the bowl with spinach.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together and chill.  Tastes even better the second day.

Tempeh Pot Pie

The photo shows an individual pot pie but we actually made one big pot pie, it just didn't photograph as well.  I must admit, we polished this off in two days.  That's a lot of pot pie for two people!

Tempeh and Vegetable Pot Pie

Inspired by Spork-Fed cookbook recipe

1/4         cup non-dairy butter

1/4         cup all purpose flour

1            medium onion, finely chopped

3            cloves garlic, finely chopped

              oil for sauté

1            pkg. Tempeh

1            small red potato

1/2         small bag of mixed vegetables (corn/carrot/green beans/peas)

2            carrots, diced

1/2         cup frozen peas

1&1/2 cups vegetable broth

1            teaspoon dried oregano

1            teaspoon dried basil

2            tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4         teaspoon sea salt

1/2         teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Biscuit Topping Ingredients

1 & 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2                  teaspoons baking powder

1/2               teaspoon baking soda

1/2               teaspoon dried oregano

1/2              teaspoon sea salt

1/4              teaspoon finely ground black pepper

3                 tablespoons non-dairy butter

3/4             cub unsweetened almond or soymilk curdled with 1 teaspoon apple cider

                  vinegar

2                 teaspoons agave nectar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Grease an 8-inch round baking dish and set aside.

Tempeh/Veggie

In a large skillet over medium heat, whisk to combine butter and flour, creating a roux.  Add onion, potato and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.

Cut Tempeh into small dices, sauté in oil until browned.  Set aside.

In the pot with the roux, add the veggies, broth, oregano, basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Stir continuously over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Add Tempeh and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Biscuit

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, oregano, sea salt and black pepper, and whisk until uniform.  Cut the butter into flour with pastry whisk until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add curdled almond or soymilk and agave to the flour mixture and knead just until mixture holds together.

Place the Tempeh/Veggie mixture into prepared baking dish.  Top with biscuit topping.  Topping will be sticky, so use damp hands to drop on the biscuit dough.

Place on baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, approximately 30 minutes.  Serves 6 people.  **You can also use this recipe to serve individual pot pies.  Place 1/4 cup of the mixture into 6 ramekins and top with approximately 3 tablespoons biscuit topping.

Chili Baked Potatoes

There are SEVERAL ways to bake a potato but I have to say this version by Alton Brown is my new favorite.  This really isn't a recipe just something we put together for a weekday dinner. Just add a big salad and your set!

Chili Baked Potatoes

2          large russet potatoes

            Canola oil to coat

            Kosher salt

1          can prepared chili (Trader Joe’s vegetarian or Amy’s Vegetarian chili)

3          slices vegan bacon (optional), fried and diced

2          green onions, diced

            vegan sour cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees and position racks in top and bottom thirds.  Wash potatoes thoroughly with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then using a standard fork, poke 8 to 12 deep holes all over the spud so that moisture can escape during cooking. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and place potato directly on rack in the middle of oven. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake 1 hour or until skin feels crisp but flesh beneath feels soft.  Serve by creating a dotted line from end to end with your fork, then crack the spud open by squeezing the ends towards one another.  It will pop right open.

Scoop out some of the cooked potato to make room for the chili, and put in separate bowl, mix with cooked vegan bacon, some vegan sour cream and onions. 

Stuff potatoes with hot chili then top with the scooped out potato mixture

Cabbage Soup

Leaves turning colors, crisp cool mornings, and SOUP!  Yes, it's that time of year when we start adding warm, soothing meals to the menu and you can't go wrong with cabbage soup.  Very few ingredients and a cinch to make.

Cabbage Soup

1            onion, small dice

1            teaspoon vegan butter

              olive oil to sauté onion and Vegan Brats

1            medium head cabbage

5            tablespoons flour – more later if a thicker broth is desired

2            small - medium potatoes, medium dice

6            cups water, adjust as needed

2            teaspoons salt

              pepper to taste

3            vegan brats, I used sage brats – Tofurky or Field Roast brands are good.

Dice onion and sauté in an oiled skillet for a few minutes.  Add flour and stir to combine, add more oil if too dry, I added a teaspoon of vegan butter for flavor.  Add diced potato, stir to combine.  Add 6 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste.  ***You can also substitute some of the water with Vegetable stock.  Cook approximate 10 minutes.

Cut cabbage into wedges.  Add to pot and cook until cabbage is tender.  Approximately 20-30 minutes.

While soup is cooking, oil a non-stick pan, cut Vegan Brats into large dices then fry until golden.  Add to soup at end of cooking.  ***You may add more flour if the soup is too thin or more water if soup is too thick.

Dijon Portobello Steaks

Kevin brought home some goodies from the Farmer's Market this weekend so we took advantage of the warm fall weather and fired up the grill.  He bought beautiful Portobello Mushrooms and glorious Acorn Squash.  For the Squash, I cut in half, seeded and brushed with a mixture of melted butter, splash of apple cider vinegar and brown sugar.  Wrapped tightly in foil and put on grill (not directly over flame) and cooked approximately 40 minutes.

Dijon Portobello Steaks

The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions Cookbook

1/2         cup mild Dijon mustard

3            tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2            tablespoons agave nectar

              salt and pepper

2            large Portobello mushrooms, stems removed

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, agave, salt and pepper.

Place mushrooms in a shallow dish and cover and marinade. Let soak for at least 15 minutes.  Remove mushrooms from marinade and place on the grill or in a grill pan; cook for about 7 minutes per side, basting with marinade, until mushrooms are tender.

Baked Onion RIngs

We love onion rings but couldn't imagine frying them in a deep fryer, so this sounded like a nice alternative.  We enjoyed them with our home made crab-less cakes and made a little vegan mayo/catsup sauce for dipping.

Baked Onion Rings

Inspired by Bobby Deen recipe

2            Vidalia onions, cut into rings

1            cup plus 1 teaspoon whole-wheat flour

1/2         pkg. silken tofu  (this is to replace eggs)

1/4         cup or more nut or soy milk to create liquid

2            cups whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs

1/4         teaspoon cayenne pepper

              salt and ground black pepper

              Canola or Olive Oil spray.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Place 3 shallow bowls on the counter in a row for the dipping process.

***To replace the suggested egg whites, you can use soy milk or any other egg replacer you have.  I blended 1/2 pkg. silken tofu with nut/soy milk and the suggested 1 teaspoon flour and it worked really well.  Mix as much soy/nut as you need to make a good dipping liquid.  I used approximately 1/4 cup.

Add 1 cup of the flour to one bowl, the tofu/nut milk mixture in the next bowl and the breadcrumbs whisked with the cayenne in the last.  Sprinkle each bowl with salt and pepper.

Begin by tossing an onion ring in the flour.  Dip into the liquid mixture, followed by the breadcrumbs, and then place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Repeat with the remaining onion rings.

Spray all of the breaded onion rings with the canola spray and sprinkle with salt and black pepper  Bake until the onion rings are crispy, 15 minutes.

***I put them under the broiler for a few minutes right before taking out to make extra brown.

Tempeh Crab Cakes

The kitchen and camera are back in action!!  I thought vegan crab cakes would be the perfect meal to make now that our kitchen is officially done!  Last of the wall tile was put on and the artwork hung, now time to get down to business.

I found this recipe on Veg Web and  love that it is made with Tempeh vs. regular tofu.  Since the vegetables aren't cooked first, I would recommend to really dice them small.  The the veggies stay a bit crisp after frying, giving it a nice texture.  These are very flavorful and we will be making them again soon!!

Tempeh Crab Cakes

http://veganmiss.blogspot.com/2012/03/tempeh-crab-cakes.html

1            pkg. (8 oz.) tempeh, finely chopped

1/2         small yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2         yellow and red bell peppers, finely chopped

1            green onion, finely chopped

1            medium carrot, finely chopped

1            small celery, stalk, finely chopped

2            cloves garlic, minced

1/4         cup oyster mushrooms, finely chopped

5            tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1/2         medium lemon, juiced

1/4         teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

1            egg replacer (I use Ener-G)

2            tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2         tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2         teaspoon dried mustard

              dash cayenne

              salt and pepper to taste

1/2         sheet nori

1/3         cup Ritz-style crackers, crushed

              peanut oil, as needed

              all purpose flour, to dust

  

In a very large bowl, mix the tempeh with all the vegetables. Add in the condiments and spices. Mix well.

Over a burner, toast the nori on each side. Crumble into the bowl. Add the crackers. Mix contents well. Heat a large skillet with peanut oil over medium heat.

Dust the counter with flour. Form the crab cake mixture into medium sized balls. Flatten a bit and coat the entire crab cake in flour. Fry on each side until completely golden.

Sever with vegan tartar sauce or horseradish sauce and coleslaw.