Mongolian BBQ Portobello Mushrooms

Stuffing or grilling always seems to be the most obvious way to serve up Portobello Mushrooms but we are always looking for new ways to use them.  The original recipe called for Seitan but we preferred to use a vegetable instead and because the Portobello Mushroom is so dense we thought it was a good replacement and could stand up to the sauce.  We aren't big snow pea eaters so we threw in some Edamame instead, turned out to be the perfect combo.

Mongolian BBQ Portobello Mushrooms

Adapted from Chloe Coscarelli recipe

2 large servings

1/4         cup hoisin sauce

1/4         cup water

1            tablespoon soy sauce

1            tablespoon agave

1            teaspoon lemon juice

1-2         teaspoons chili sauce

1            clove garlic, minced

1-2         tablespoons canola oil

2            teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/8         teaspoon ground cinnamon

2-3        large Portobello Mushrooms, thickly sliced

            edamame (soy beans)

            green onions, sliced

            rice, cooked

            fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, make the sauce by whisking together hoisin sauce, water, soy sauce, agave, lemon juice, chili sauce, minced garlic, fresh ginger and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and lightly stir fry the sliced mushrooms.  After the mushrooms start to release their juices, add the edamame and green onions.   

Heat the sauce in a small saucepan until it starts to thicken.  Add sauce to mushroom mixture.  Serve over rice.  Dress with fresh cilantro.

Breakfast Scramble

Breakfast Scramble

There's really not an official recipe for this but I thought it looked pretty so I wanted to include it on the blog.  We diced up some potatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, then baked in a 375 degree oven until crispy.  While the potatoes were cooking, we diced up a green pepper, onion and garlic and sautéed in a skillet.  In a small skillet we fried up some Gimme Lean vegan patties.  Once potatoes were done, we transferred to the skillet and topped with the patties.  As far as seasoning goes, we just used salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and a bit of cumin.

Raw Chocolate Walnut Fudge

This is a great idea for a hostess gift or an addition to a Holiday basket.  I put a few in a pretty wrapper to give to my parents along with Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf and a few good books they can enjoy throughout the long winter.    ****Check out Angela's web-site, it is packed with great recipes and information.  She also has a cookbook coming out next year that is already on my "wish list"

Raw Chocolate Walnut Fudge

http://ohsheglows.com/2013/07/31/seductive-raw-chocolate-walnut-fudge/

Squash and Bean Burritos

The farmer's market had lots of various kinds of squash available and butternut is one of our favorites.  Instead of soup, we thought we'd try something with a bit more gusto and since we love Mexican food, we tried this combo out.  Roasting the vegetables really brings out the flavor and natural sweetness.

Squash and Bean Burritos

**Depending on the size of squash, your measurements may differ.

1 & 1/2            cup Squash (butternut is preferred) – mine was very small

-       clean and dice into small pieces

1                       bell pepper (I used orange), dice into same size as Squash

1                       large red onion (Cut into quarters) – dice after roasting

1                       tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)

1                       teaspoon cumin

1                       tablespoon brown sugar

                         Oil

                         Salt and Pepper

1                      15 oz. can of beans, pinto or black

1 & 1/2            cup cooked brown rice

                        flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, for roasting squash, pepper and onion.

Dice squash and pepper.  Quarter onion and place all vegetables in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Add chili powder, cumin, brown pepper, salt and pepper.  With a large spoon, mix until all the vegetables are covered.  Place on a baking sheet and roast in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Take out and return to mixing bowl.

Add cooked brown rice and pinto or black beans to vegetable mix.  Sprinkle more chili powder, salt and pepper if needed.

Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or microwave.  Heat filling in a skillet then fill the flour tortillas.

Potato-Fennel Soup

We have lots of snow on the ground here in Michigan, so a warm, soothing bowl of soup really warms the belly and the toes.  We love coming in from shoveling snow and having a big pot of soup on the stove just waiting for us to dig in.

Potato-Fennel Soup

Modified Food Network Magazine Recipe – October

3            large leeks

1            large bulb fennel, diced

3            large carrots, diced

1            shallot, diced

              salt and pepper

              olive oil

2            tablespoons vegan butter

2            pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

6            cups vegetable stock

1 & 1/2       cups nut or soy milk

1/4         cup chopped fresh parley or dill  **I used dill

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the leeks lengthwise, then thinly slice and rinse.  Put the carrots, leeks and diced fennel on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Toss to mix.  Roast in 400 degree oven until golden, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the vegan butter in a Dutch oven or pot over medium high heat.  Add diced shallot, cook 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes and 2 cups of the vegetable stock.  Cover and cook until tender, 15  minutes.  Add 3 more cups broth and the nut/soy milk; bring to a boil.   Working in batches, transfer to a blender and puree; season with salt and pepper.

Add the roasted leeks, fennel, carrots and chopped herbs.

Fried Tempeh with Tomato Cream Sauce

The soy creamer replaces regular cream and gives the sauce a slightly sweet taste, if you like the sauce creamier, just add more soy creamer.

Fried Tempeh with Tomato Cream Sauce

1 & 1/2            cups frozen lima beans

1 & 12             cups frozen peas

                        salt and pepper

2                      tablespoons vegan butter

1                      tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1                      block Tempeh

                        olive oil & vegan butter for frying

1                      medium shallot, minced

2                      tablespoons white wine vinegar

2                      tablespoons tomato paste

1/4                   soy creamer (to replace heavy cream)

1                      tablespoon hopped fresh tarragon, parsley or dill

Combine lima beans and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer, then cover and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes.  Add the peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cover and cook until the peas and beans are tender, about 5 more minutes.  Drain and return to the pan.  Add 1 tablespoon vegan butter and the parsley; stir to coat.

Meanwhile, slice the block of tempeh to make thinner then cut into four pieces.  Add vegan butter and oil to frying pan and fry tempeh until golden brown.

To make sauce, heat 1 tablespoon vegan butter in another saucepan over medium heat; add the shallot and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add the vinegar and boil until reduced by half, about 2 more minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste., then add the soy creamer and 3/4 cut water and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes; stir in the herbs.  Drizzle over the tempeh and serve over the bean mixture.

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Your dog or friend's dog will go nuts over these home made biscuits.  Why not make a double batch, have your kids pitch in then package up and give to neighbors or local animal shelters -- tails will be a waggin!

Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis recipe

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/peanut-butter-dog-bone-treats-recipe/index.html

            vegetable oil cooking spray

2          cups whole wheat flour, plus more for dusting

1/2       cup old fashioned oats

1          tablespoon baking powder

1          cup low sodium vegetable broth

1          cup creamy peanut butter, at room temperature

1/4       cup soy parmesan (optional) for dusting

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray or line with baking mat.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats and baking powder.  Stir in the broth and peanut butter until mixture forms a crumbly dough.  Press the dough together to form a ball.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for 30 second until smooth.  Roll ou the dough into a 10-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick.  Using fun cookie cutters, cut out cookies and place on the prepared baking sheet (keep using scraps to re-roll)

Sprinkle with soy Parmesan.  Bake until light golden, 20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

Next time I make these I'll use Almond Butter, as in the original recipe but I'm a big fan of peanut butter so it's nice to have a couple of options.  These are more like an energy bar than a cookie and are great to take on the road as a healthy snack.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

Adapted from vegweb.com recipe  -  magenta512 (Chocolate Almond No-Bake Cookies)

1/2               cup nondairy milk

1/4               cup cooking oil (can use less if peanut butter is oily

1/4               cup raw sugar or more (originally recipe calls for 1 & 3/4 cups)

1                  tablespoon maple syrup

4                  tablespoons baking cocoa

1/2               cup peanut butter (I used nutty)

3                  cups oats

Mix the milk, oil, sugar, maple syrup and cocoa together in a saucepan.  The consistency of the mixture will change to liquid as the sugar dissolves.

Heat on low until the mixture comes to a soft rolling boil.  Let boil gently for at least 3 minutes. Stir periodically to keep chocolate from burning.  Add the peanut butter and stir until it dissolves into the mixture.

Turn off the heat and add the oats.  Fold oats into the chocolate mixture until all the oats are covered.  The mixture shouldn’t be runny.  If runny, you need to add more oats.   Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie tray/wax paper/tin foil and let cool to room temperature.  If you just can’t wait, pop in the fridge to cool.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Pasta isn't one of Kevin's favorite meals but he actually asked me to make this pasta dish again a week after I made it for the first time.  Double it up and make a big pot for girls night or book club with a big side salad and a loaf of bread to accompany it.

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Adapted from Pioneer Woman recipe

12          ounces pasta of your choice (I used Rigatoni)

4            tablespoons vegan butter

1/2         whole large onion, finely diced

3            cloves garlic, minced

2            jars (12 ounce) Roasted Red Peppers, drained and roughly chopped

              kale (chopped up) a few big leaves, stems removed

1            cup vegetable stock

1/2         teaspoon salt, more to taste

              freshly ground black pepper

              few splashes of nut or soy milk (I used almond)

              soy parmesan cheese, to taste

              parsley, minced for garnish

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.

Melt 2 tablespoons vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes, until hot.  Add Kale for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor or blender.  Place on the lid and puree the pepper mixture until totally blended (there will be some texture to the peppers.)

Heat the other 2 tablespoons vegan butter in the skillet, over medium heat.  Pour the pepper puree back into the skillet.  Add the vegetable broth, salt and pepper, and stir until heated.  Splash in the nut/soy milk and sprinkle in desired amount of soy Parmesan.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.    Add more soy parmesan if needed and garnish with fresh parsley.

Fancy Green Bean Casserole

If you missed out on making Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving, you may want to try this version for your upcoming Holiday spread.  It's a fresh twist on the original canned Green Bean Casserole recipe.  I still used the store bought fried onions, why mess with what works.

Green Bean Casserole

Adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli recipe

              Kosher salt

1            pound string beans, ends trimmed, halved

4            tablespoons unsalted vegan butter

1            pound white mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 & 1/2    teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)

1            teaspoon Dijon mustard

4            garlic cloves, minced

2            tablespoons all-purpose flour

1            cup vegetable broth (start with a little less than add more as needed)

1/2         cup vegan cream of mushroom soup (Whole Foods - Imagine Portobello Mushroom Soup) – more if needed

1            cup vegan sour cream

1            can store bought fried onions (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in a large pot.   Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and add some cold water.  Set a colander squarely inside the ice bath.  Then colander will keep you from having to pick the ice out of the beans.

Beans:  When the water boils, add 2 tablespoons salt and the green beans.  Cook until the beans yield slightly when pierced with the tip of a knife, 4 minutes.  Using a strainer, remove the green beans from the hot water and transfer them to the colander inside the ice bath.  Swirl the beans around in the bath so they cool quickly.  Drain and set aside.

Mushroom base:  In a 10 or 12” cast iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet, over medium heat, melt the vegan butter and add the mushrooms. Season with salt, 1 teaspoon of the cayenne (if using), and the mustard.  Stir to blend and cook until the mushrooms give off most of their liquid, 3-5 minutes.  Using a whisk, add the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the flour.  When all the flour has been incorporated, add the vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Taste for seasoning.  Stir in the mushroom soup and sour cream and simmer gently.  Continue cooking over low heat until the mixture thickens, 3-5 minutes.  You should have about 2 cups. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Assemble:  Stir the green beans into the mushrooms.  Simmer on the stove over low heat until green beans become tender when pierced with tip of a knife, 10-15 minutes.  Mix in 1/4 of the can of fried onions then top the rest of the mixture with the onions leaving some of the green beans exposed in the middle.  Transfer skilled to oven for approximately 10 minutes to give the casserole that baked