Berry Pudding

Berry Pudding

**Since I used Berry Jam, I used only 1/8 cup of powdered sugar.

16 oz. firm silken tofu

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup strawberry/berry jam or 3/4 cup frozen berries

Place tofu in food processor and process until smooth. Add sugar and jam/fruit.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Greek Bean Soup-Dinning with Friends Cookbook

Greek Bean Soup

1 1/2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, with leaves

1 medium onion, chopped

14-oz. can plum tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth

parsley, chopped

salt & pepper

Dice the following by hand: carrots, celery and onion.

Heat oil and saute carrots. After 5 minutes, add onions, then celery. When all vegetables are light medium brown, add 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and canned tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and cook for another 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the cooked cannellini beans. Add more broth if needed and decorate with chopped parsley.

Eggplant Parmesan -Nonna's Italian Kitchen Cookbook

Eggplant Parmesan: Nonna's Italian Kitchen cookbook (Bryanna Clark Grogan)

From Nonna's Italian Kitchen Vegan Cuisine cookbook. The special ingredient is Cashew Mascarpone. It is layered over red sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan (Nonna’s Italian Kitchen)

3 lbs. Eggplant, sliced ¼ “ thick.

2 cups this Dairy-Free White Sauce (see below)

¾ cup toasted bead crumbs

½ cup Soy Parmesan

Tomato Sauce

½ medium onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T. olive oil

4 cups chopped fresh or canned, drained plum tomatoes

1/3 cups chopped fresh basil

Salt and Pepper

Salt the eggplant and place it in colander to drain while you make White Sauce (see end of recipe). Prepare the bread crumbs and set aside.

To make the tomato sauce, sauté the onion and garlic in oil until softened. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15 min. Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. (Add a pinch of sugar if you are using canned tomatoes.) If you prefer a smooth sauce, process it in food processor before adding the basil.

Rinse the eggplant and pat it dry. Brush it with olive oil, and broil it 3-4 inches from the heat on both sides until it is slightly browned and soft inside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil a 10-inch casserole. Lay half the eggplant on the bottom, and top with half the bread crumbs. Spread with half the tomato sauce, half the white sauce, and half the soy Parmesan. Layer he remaining ingredients. Bake for 20 min. or until bubbly and browned on top.

White Sauce:

1 cup plain soy/rice milk

¼ cup raw cashews

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

¼ t. salt

Place the milk and cashews in a blender, and combine until very smooth – no graininess. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.

Pour into a small saucepan, and stir over medium heat until it thickens. Lower heat and cook for 1 min. stirring constantly. Scrape the mixture into a container, and let cool to room temperature. Whisk or bat with an electric beater until smooth, then cover and refrigerate. Before using, beat it again with a whisk or electric beater. If it’s too thick, thin with a little rice/nut milk.

Tempeh Stroganoff

Stroganoff made with green pepper, mushrooms, onion, tofu sour cream and tempeh. Season with garlic salt, paprika, salt/pepper, turmeric for additional color. Serve over brown rice.

Nachos

Nachos

Sometimes you just need something good and gooey. We used Amy's vegetarian canned chili layered with refried beans. Cubed avocado and fresh diced tomato make a nice topping.

Lemony Chard-Stuffed Shells

I added a bit of shredded soy mozzarella cheese and a bread crumb/garlic salt/butter topping. If you can't find swiss chard, spinach will work. A good dish to serve for company and much easier to make than Lasagna.

Lemony Chard-Stuffed Shells

12 large pasta shells (I used more)

2 T. olive oil

1/2 cup minced shallots

1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped

4 oz. white mushrooms, chopped (1 cup)

1 lb. firm tofu, drained, blotted dry and crumbled

1/3 cup soy parmesan cheese

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/2 t. sale

1/4 t. black pepper

3 cups tomato pasta sauce ( used Trader Joe's garlic sauce)

Cook the shell al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add shallots and cook until softened. Add the chard and mushrooms and cook until tender. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add the tofu, Parmesan, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper - mix well.

Useing a teaspoon, stuff the filling into the shells until well packed. Spread a layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of a shallow 9x13 " baking dish. Arrange the shells on top of the sauce, and pour the remaining sauce over and around the shells. Cover and bake for 30 min. or until hot.

I also added shredded Mozzarella and bread crumb mixture.

New York State of Mind

We took a little break from home cooking to celebrate our anniversary in NYC. While there, we enjoyed many lunches and dinners around the city. Here are some of our favorite discoveries:

Blossom: Chelsea Area

Cafe Blossom: Upper West Side

Caravan of Dreams: Lower East Side

Candle 79: Upper East Side

Red Bamboo: Chelsea Area

Pure Food & Wine: Union Square

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

In honor of George Keri, our Hungarian friend, here is a wonderful and easy soup.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup-The New Moosewood Cookbook (Molly Katzen)

2 T. soy butter

2 c. onion chopped

1.2-2 lbs. mushrooms, sliced

1 t. salt

2-3 t. dried dill

1 T. mild paprika

2 t. fresh lemon juice

3 T. flour

2 c. water

1 c. almond/soy milk

black pepper to taste

½ c. soy sour cream

finely minced fresh parsley

Melt the soy butter in a dutch oven. Add onions, and sauté over med. heat for 5 min.

Add mushrooms, salt, dill and paprika. Stir well and cover. Let cook for 15 more min.

Stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice.

Gradually sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly. Cook and stir another 5 min. over med. heat. Add water, cover, and cook about 10 min., stirring often.

Stir in almond/soy milk, add black pepper to taste. Check to see if it needs more salt.Whisk in the soy sour cream, and heat very gently. Don’t boil or cook it after this point. Serve hot, topped with freshly minced parsley.

Chickpea Croquettes w/Gravy

Chickpea Croquettes “The Ethnic Vegetarian" (Angela Shelf Medearis)

6 servings

2 cans (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed/drained

2 cloves garlic, peeled/crushed

1 bunch green onions, trimmed/chopped

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. ground coriander

2 T. chopped cilantro

1 egg replacer (1 egg equiv)

2 T. flour

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

¼ c. olive oil

Place the chickpeas in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the garlic, green onions, cumin and coriander. Process until well-combined. Scrape the chickpea mixture into a bowl. Add the cilantro egg replacement, flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir well, adding more flour if necessary to form the mixing into a dough.

Shape the dough into 12 patties. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 min.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over med. high heat until hot but not smoking. Fry the patties for 2-3 min. on each side, or until crisp and golden brown.

Veggie Gravy

1 T. olive oil

1 T. soy butter

1 yellow onion, peeled/finely chopped

3 cloves garlic/peeled & minced

2 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 t. salt

1 t. onion powder

½ t. dried tarragon

½ t. dried thyme

2 c. vegetable broth

3 T. cornstarch

2 c. frozen mixed vegetables

Heat oil and butter in saucepan over med. heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 min., stirring occasionally. Add garlic, celery, salt, onion powder, tarragon, and thyme and cook for 5 min. Stir in 1 cup of the vegetable broth and cook for 5 min.

Combine the remaining 1 cup vegetable broth and the cornstarch in a small bowl until well-blended. Increase the heat to high and bring the onion mixture to a boil. Stir in the broth mixture and cook, stirring, until the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and add the mixed vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.