French fries:
Peel and cut a sweet potato. Use a little olive oil and a little Tony Chachere's seasoning. bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 min (I like mine under-done)
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Hamburger and French Fries
Publix Greenwise burger with caramelized onion, Tofutti cheese, mushroom, lettuce, tomato, Vegenaise, dijon. Sweet potato fries with ketchup and miso mayo. I highly recommend the Publix burger! Cheapo and yummy! Saute in a pan with a little margarine to make a nice slightly crispy outside.
French fries:
Peel and cut a sweet potato. Use a little olive oil and a little Tony Chachere's seasoning. bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 min (I like mine under-done)
French fries:
Peel and cut a sweet potato. Use a little olive oil and a little Tony Chachere's seasoning. bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 min (I like mine under-done)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Homemade Lasagna and Special Marshmallows
This lasagna is 100% Homemade. It's from Nonna's Italian Kitchen. I even did the pasta! Get this book!
Sweet and Sara Marshmallows! A special treat!
Sweet and Sara Marshmallows! A special treat!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Puttanesca, Kittee's Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie
Apparently, this means "prostitute's pasta" because it was served in brothels back in the day. So good! It's from Bryanna Clark Grogan's Nonna's Italian Kitchen.
And Kittee's Peanut Butter Pie. Basically 5 ingredients. Basically impressive and awesome.
And Kittee's Peanut Butter Pie. Basically 5 ingredients. Basically impressive and awesome.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Low-Fat "Cheeseburger" Pasta + Make-Your-Own-Crumbles Recipe
This recipe has about 30 grams of fat for the entire batch, which makes 4-6 decent servings. Use whole wheat pasta if available. (I can't find vegan WW ribbons)
"Cheeseburger" Pasta
1 small onion diced
1 c crumbles (see recipe below!)
Handful mushrooms, chopped (if you don't like mushrooms, omit)
1 tsp olive oil
Tony Chachere's brand** or your favourite multi-purpose seasoning
4 c uncooked egg-free pasta ribbons (less if using a denser pasta, like macaroni)
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 c flour (I used whole wheat pastry)
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 Tbsp margarine (earth balance)
1/4 tsp. (wet) mustard
1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
salt to taste
dash garlic powder
few turns fresh ground black pepper
Heat a small pan and add the olive oil. Saute mushrooms and onions until onions are translucent. Add crumbles and seasoning and cook until moisture is gone.
Cook pasta and drain. Set aside.
Put flour and nutritional yeast in a (separate)dry pan, around MED heat. Whisk mixture until "toasted" and not raw-tasting. Be careful! Don't burn!
Slowly whisk in milk. Beat out any lumps.
Add margarine, mustards, garlic powder, and pepper. Mixture will thicken.
Add cooked pasta and onion/crumble/mushroom mixture. Mix well. Serve with a salad!
Make-Your-Own-Crumbles
This recipe is inspired by Boca and other crumbles, which are about $6-$8/lb. This is cheaper, though I have no idea how much it actually costs.
*3 c Textured Vegetable Protein/Textured Soy Protein
*scant 2 1/2 to 3 cups boiling water
*2-3 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Beef OR your favourite vegan beef broth powder/cubes, to taste
*1/4 c. A-1 steak sauce (it's clean, don't worry)
*Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce (optional, just for colour)
Add bouillon to water and whisk until dissolved. Add TSP/TVP and mix well. Add A-1 and a dash Kitchen Bouquet. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Use as directed. Best if sauteed with spices.
**If you click on the link, please ignore the monstrosity that is the TurDuckEn. I apologize that it exists.
"Cheeseburger" Pasta
1 small onion diced
1 c crumbles (see recipe below!)
Handful mushrooms, chopped (if you don't like mushrooms, omit)
1 tsp olive oil
Tony Chachere's brand** or your favourite multi-purpose seasoning
4 c uncooked egg-free pasta ribbons (less if using a denser pasta, like macaroni)
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 c flour (I used whole wheat pastry)
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 Tbsp margarine (earth balance)
1/4 tsp. (wet) mustard
1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
salt to taste
dash garlic powder
few turns fresh ground black pepper
Heat a small pan and add the olive oil. Saute mushrooms and onions until onions are translucent. Add crumbles and seasoning and cook until moisture is gone.
Cook pasta and drain. Set aside.
Put flour and nutritional yeast in a (separate)dry pan, around MED heat. Whisk mixture until "toasted" and not raw-tasting. Be careful! Don't burn!
Slowly whisk in milk. Beat out any lumps.
Add margarine, mustards, garlic powder, and pepper. Mixture will thicken.
Add cooked pasta and onion/crumble/mushroom mixture. Mix well. Serve with a salad!
Make-Your-Own-Crumbles
This recipe is inspired by Boca and other crumbles, which are about $6-$8/lb. This is cheaper, though I have no idea how much it actually costs.
*3 c Textured Vegetable Protein/Textured Soy Protein
*scant 2 1/2 to 3 cups boiling water
*2-3 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Beef OR your favourite vegan beef broth powder/cubes, to taste
*1/4 c. A-1 steak sauce (it's clean, don't worry)
*Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce (optional, just for colour)
Add bouillon to water and whisk until dissolved. Add TSP/TVP and mix well. Add A-1 and a dash Kitchen Bouquet. Set aside for about 10 minutes. Use as directed. Best if sauteed with spices.
**If you click on the link, please ignore the monstrosity that is the TurDuckEn. I apologize that it exists.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Vegetable Curry and Cream Cheese Brownies
Mixed Vegetable Curry! This is one of my boyfriend's fav dinners. It's spicy (for me, *almost* to the point of being too spicy) but you can calm it by not adding as much spice or adding more coconut milk.
Brownies! If you are like me, you like the very center of every pan of baked goods. Gooey and no crust. If you don't like gooey, these brownies aren't for you, because they won't get firm unless you add more flour or something. Recipe below.
Vegetable Curry
This vegetable curry came with a little help from Shan Vegetable Curry Mix. You get a lot of servings from one pack of spices, which are about $1/box (I fed 5 people with less than half of the spice pack when curry was served with rice). This dish can be stretched even further by using less, or by serving with breads and salad.
Here is the (loose) recipe that I made the vegetable curry with. You can use whatever vegetables you have around!
4-5 medium tomatoes (I de-seeded, you don't have to)
2 small-med red potatoes, peeled and chopped small*
2-3 zucchini, unpeeled, chopped small*
1 1/2 onions, diced
5-6 baby portobello or other mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thick
Handful cauliflower florets, chopped into chunks
1 lb tofu, cut into 1/8ths and pressed, then each 1/8th cut in half
1/2 regular (13-14oz) can coconut milk
1 box Shan Vegetable Curry Mix
*About 1 cm cubes, zucchini can be larger since it is a quicker-cooking vegetable
In a large saute pan with high sides, pour 1-2 Tbsp. peanut oil and cook tofu until golden (on each side). Empty pan, cut each piece of tofu into even 4 pieces. Set aside.
In same pan, heat a generous 1-2 Tbsp. margarine, and fry onions and potatoes for roughly 5 minutes or a little longer, until almost done (If you have any carrots or other long-cooking vegetables, add them here with the onion and potato). Add the rest of the vegetables, several Tbsp (3-5) Shan spices, and the coconut milk. Cook the vegetables until tender but not mushy. Tomato will pretty much dissolve and become part of the sauce. This takes about 10 minutes. Stir fairly often, as this is a lot to make at once and you want even cooking.
Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and reduce the coconut milk until it makes a fairly thick sauce (coats the back of a spoon, but isn't thick enough to hold a shape).
Return vegetables (and tofu) to pan and coat with sauce. Serve with cooked basmati rice and any Indian breads/chutneys. We kept it simple.
Here is what the packet looks like if you don't want to shop from the internet. I found mine at a local Indian grocer!
Gooey Cream Cheese Brownies
(Based off a Vegweb.com recipe, modified slightly)
2 cups flour
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup oil - preferably vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli)
3/4 8oz. container Tofutti Cream Cheese (so use 6oz or just estimate)
*Boil water and 1/2 cup of the flour over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches the consistency of a thin gluey paste. Remove from heat and let cool completely. MUST cool completely.
*Mix sugar, salt, vanilla, cocoa and oil. Then add the rest flour-water mixture. Mix well.
*Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder.
*Spoon out about 1/4-1/3 cup batter, and beat well with cream cheese, adding a little soy milk to thin.
*Add the nuts or chocolate chips to the large bowl of batter, if you choose to add those.
*Spread mixture into a greased 11 x 7 pan (I used 8x8 or 9x9). Pour cream cheese mixture on top of brownie mixture and swirl. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted and come out (somewhat)clean.
Brownies! If you are like me, you like the very center of every pan of baked goods. Gooey and no crust. If you don't like gooey, these brownies aren't for you, because they won't get firm unless you add more flour or something. Recipe below.
Vegetable Curry
This vegetable curry came with a little help from Shan Vegetable Curry Mix. You get a lot of servings from one pack of spices, which are about $1/box (I fed 5 people with less than half of the spice pack when curry was served with rice). This dish can be stretched even further by using less, or by serving with breads and salad.
Here is the (loose) recipe that I made the vegetable curry with. You can use whatever vegetables you have around!
4-5 medium tomatoes (I de-seeded, you don't have to)
2 small-med red potatoes, peeled and chopped small*
2-3 zucchini, unpeeled, chopped small*
1 1/2 onions, diced
5-6 baby portobello or other mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thick
Handful cauliflower florets, chopped into chunks
1 lb tofu, cut into 1/8ths and pressed, then each 1/8th cut in half
1/2 regular (13-14oz) can coconut milk
1 box Shan Vegetable Curry Mix
*About 1 cm cubes, zucchini can be larger since it is a quicker-cooking vegetable
In a large saute pan with high sides, pour 1-2 Tbsp. peanut oil and cook tofu until golden (on each side). Empty pan, cut each piece of tofu into even 4 pieces. Set aside.
In same pan, heat a generous 1-2 Tbsp. margarine, and fry onions and potatoes for roughly 5 minutes or a little longer, until almost done (If you have any carrots or other long-cooking vegetables, add them here with the onion and potato). Add the rest of the vegetables, several Tbsp (3-5) Shan spices, and the coconut milk. Cook the vegetables until tender but not mushy. Tomato will pretty much dissolve and become part of the sauce. This takes about 10 minutes. Stir fairly often, as this is a lot to make at once and you want even cooking.
Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and reduce the coconut milk until it makes a fairly thick sauce (coats the back of a spoon, but isn't thick enough to hold a shape).
Return vegetables (and tofu) to pan and coat with sauce. Serve with cooked basmati rice and any Indian breads/chutneys. We kept it simple.
Here is what the packet looks like if you don't want to shop from the internet. I found mine at a local Indian grocer!
Gooey Cream Cheese Brownies
(Based off a Vegweb.com recipe, modified slightly)
2 cups flour
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1/2 cup oil - preferably vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli)
3/4 8oz. container Tofutti Cream Cheese (so use 6oz or just estimate)
*Boil water and 1/2 cup of the flour over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches the consistency of a thin gluey paste. Remove from heat and let cool completely. MUST cool completely.
*Mix sugar, salt, vanilla, cocoa and oil. Then add the rest flour-water mixture. Mix well.
*Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder.
*Spoon out about 1/4-1/3 cup batter, and beat well with cream cheese, adding a little soy milk to thin.
*Add the nuts or chocolate chips to the large bowl of batter, if you choose to add those.
*Spread mixture into a greased 11 x 7 pan (I used 8x8 or 9x9). Pour cream cheese mixture on top of brownie mixture and swirl. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted and come out (somewhat)clean.
Mini Pumpkin Pie
I am so glad these mini-pies came out well. With help from PPKers, I found a crust and method that works. These are the newest addition to the cafe where I work. I hope our customers enjoy them!
Crust is from vegweb.com
1 1/2 cups flour (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons soy milk
Mix dry ingredients. Add liquids and mix with a fork. Pat into 9-inch pan with fingers. If pre-baked crust is needed, bake at 425 degrees F, 10-12 minutes.
Filling
3/4 lb tofu
15-16 oz pumpkin puree (1 can)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/3 c oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 c brown sugar
Do not press tofu, especially if using firm. (I used firm Chinese style tofu and this recipe still worked). Crumble tofu really well with your hands. Add all ingredients. Blend until very, very smooth. You may need to start out with a food processor then move to a blender. Scrape down sides of blender occasionally.
Topping
Recipe is from Recipezaar.
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 cups roughly chopped walnuts
*Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a large, heavy saucepan and place over medium heat.
*Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear.
*Boil for 2 minutes without stirring.
*Add the walnuts, bring back to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
*Remove from heat and allow to cool.
*Serve and store at room temperature.
*Stir well before using.
*Note- Sauce will thicken upon cooling. Overcooking can lead to making a very hard walnut mixture.
Directions:
Chill dough while you are making filling. (2x recipe dough will equal 12 mini pies with a little dough left over. 1x pumpkin filling will make about 16 mini-pies.)
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
*Spray a cupcake pan well with nonstick spray. Flatten and pat dough into each cupcake well, keeping it a little higher on the sides (you will need the sides slightly high- you will be removing these from the pan, and it makes them look really home-made.)
*Bake dough about 10 min, until "set". Will not be golden, just not doughy.
*Fill each mini-pie with pumpkin filling and return to oven.
*Bake 10-20 minutes more, checking at 10 and 15 minutes. Pumpkin will not be jiggly and will come out mostly clean when done.
*Let cool, remove from pan by carefully slipping a knife down into each well, and gently pop out pie.
*Make walnut topping and put a small amount on each mini-pie.
*Serve
Crust is from vegweb.com
1 1/2 cups flour (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons soy milk
Mix dry ingredients. Add liquids and mix with a fork. Pat into 9-inch pan with fingers. If pre-baked crust is needed, bake at 425 degrees F, 10-12 minutes.
Filling
3/4 lb tofu
15-16 oz pumpkin puree (1 can)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/3 c oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 c brown sugar
Do not press tofu, especially if using firm. (I used firm Chinese style tofu and this recipe still worked). Crumble tofu really well with your hands. Add all ingredients. Blend until very, very smooth. You may need to start out with a food processor then move to a blender. Scrape down sides of blender occasionally.
Topping
Recipe is from Recipezaar.
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
2 cups roughly chopped walnuts
*Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a large, heavy saucepan and place over medium heat.
*Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear.
*Boil for 2 minutes without stirring.
*Add the walnuts, bring back to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
*Remove from heat and allow to cool.
*Serve and store at room temperature.
*Stir well before using.
*Note- Sauce will thicken upon cooling. Overcooking can lead to making a very hard walnut mixture.
Directions:
Chill dough while you are making filling. (2x recipe dough will equal 12 mini pies with a little dough left over. 1x pumpkin filling will make about 16 mini-pies.)
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
*Spray a cupcake pan well with nonstick spray. Flatten and pat dough into each cupcake well, keeping it a little higher on the sides (you will need the sides slightly high- you will be removing these from the pan, and it makes them look really home-made.)
*Bake dough about 10 min, until "set". Will not be golden, just not doughy.
*Fill each mini-pie with pumpkin filling and return to oven.
*Bake 10-20 minutes more, checking at 10 and 15 minutes. Pumpkin will not be jiggly and will come out mostly clean when done.
*Let cool, remove from pan by carefully slipping a knife down into each well, and gently pop out pie.
*Make walnut topping and put a small amount on each mini-pie.
*Serve
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Korean Yumminess: Bulgogi and Kim Chee Tutorial
First, the Kim Chee. Kim Chee is a very old, very popular fermented vegetable dish of Korea. Many kinds have fish or shrimp paste in them, making them not suitable for vegetarians, but you can easily make your own! It's a lot cheaper that way, as well.
This is my first attempt and I am happy with the results. This is how I made it. There are many, many different ingredient combinations, as well as methods. The times for preparation are greatly varied as well. I encourage you to try your own! Kim chee tends to get hotter with age, up to a point so go easy on your heat source if you aren't big on spiciness. Here we go!
First, get your hands on some Napa cabbage. I got mine at the local Asian market.
Next, cut the end off
You can use this as a frisbee or something. My dog actually liked how it tasted so he was licking it...
Cut into fourths lengthwise and wash well. Let drain.
Dispatch into 1-2 inch pieces and salt liberally. I used kosher salt.
Cover loosely and let sit anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours
The salt will purge the liquid from the cabbage. It will wilt and release its liquid. Look how much!
Rinse your cabbage and squeeze well. Do not worry about it being too dry. It will make more liquid as it ferments. Your cabbage should still have a nice texture (not all of it should be limp) and it shouldn't be too salty after rinsing.
This is the fun part...
Go nuts! Add what you want. Here is what I added:
Handful shredded carrots
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 sheet Laver seaweed*, cut into tiny pieces with scissors
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
Sriracha, to taste**
about 2 Tbsp tamari/soy sauce
several green onions, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped very fine
3-4 small/2 large garlic cloves, chopped very fine
*Laver seaweed is a delicious salted seaweed (?) algae (?) that is different from sushi nori. You can eat it as a snack by itself or with rice. It's really lacy-looking. I added this to impart a little "sea" taste. You can use other sea vegetables, such as kelp, or omit.
**Sriracha is a common Asian hot sauce. It has a rooster on the bottle. I added too much! I would go easy on the heat. You can add more later.
After all ingredients are well-mixed, place in a clean wide-mouth jar. I let mine sit on the stove overnight, but it isn't hot in the house. If it is too warm in your house, find a cool spot and let the kim chee sit there for a few hours or overnight.
You can eat the kim chee right away after it's refrigerated, but some people wait longer. It will keep in your refrigerator for months.
ENJOY!
*********************************
This Bulgogi recipe came from the newspaper and by the time I got to it, it was just an ingredient list and no name for credit. Sorry! Traditionally, it is made with beef. Seitan or tofu makes a really good substitution.
Bulgogi (Korean BBQ)
2-4 lbs protein such as seitan or tofu, cooked and sliced thin
3/4 c soy sauce
1 1/4 c water (less for saltier taste)
2 Tbsp. mirin
2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, roasted and ground
2-3 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3-4 scallions, sliced on bias
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Mix all ingredients. (Sugar will dissolve.) Can spoon sauce directly onto protein and serve with sticky rice. Can also reduce sauce slightly, or coat protein in sauce and serve with rice. Additional items for a meal: garlic bok choy, kim chee, noodles, sweet and sour soy beans, pickled sweet cucumber, daikon, etc.
NOT the bulgogi recipe, but using the sauce I had left over from when I did make it, and made a soba noodle with cashew dish...
BONUS!!!
Delicious Indian Takeout. Wish I made it, but I didn't.
This is my first attempt and I am happy with the results. This is how I made it. There are many, many different ingredient combinations, as well as methods. The times for preparation are greatly varied as well. I encourage you to try your own! Kim chee tends to get hotter with age, up to a point so go easy on your heat source if you aren't big on spiciness. Here we go!
First, get your hands on some Napa cabbage. I got mine at the local Asian market.
Next, cut the end off
You can use this as a frisbee or something. My dog actually liked how it tasted so he was licking it...
Cut into fourths lengthwise and wash well. Let drain.
Dispatch into 1-2 inch pieces and salt liberally. I used kosher salt.
Cover loosely and let sit anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours
The salt will purge the liquid from the cabbage. It will wilt and release its liquid. Look how much!
Rinse your cabbage and squeeze well. Do not worry about it being too dry. It will make more liquid as it ferments. Your cabbage should still have a nice texture (not all of it should be limp) and it shouldn't be too salty after rinsing.
This is the fun part...
Go nuts! Add what you want. Here is what I added:
Handful shredded carrots
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 sheet Laver seaweed*, cut into tiny pieces with scissors
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
Sriracha, to taste**
about 2 Tbsp tamari/soy sauce
several green onions, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped very fine
3-4 small/2 large garlic cloves, chopped very fine
*Laver seaweed is a delicious salted seaweed (?) algae (?) that is different from sushi nori. You can eat it as a snack by itself or with rice. It's really lacy-looking. I added this to impart a little "sea" taste. You can use other sea vegetables, such as kelp, or omit.
**Sriracha is a common Asian hot sauce. It has a rooster on the bottle. I added too much! I would go easy on the heat. You can add more later.
After all ingredients are well-mixed, place in a clean wide-mouth jar. I let mine sit on the stove overnight, but it isn't hot in the house. If it is too warm in your house, find a cool spot and let the kim chee sit there for a few hours or overnight.
You can eat the kim chee right away after it's refrigerated, but some people wait longer. It will keep in your refrigerator for months.
ENJOY!
*********************************
This Bulgogi recipe came from the newspaper and by the time I got to it, it was just an ingredient list and no name for credit. Sorry! Traditionally, it is made with beef. Seitan or tofu makes a really good substitution.
Bulgogi (Korean BBQ)
2-4 lbs protein such as seitan or tofu, cooked and sliced thin
3/4 c soy sauce
1 1/4 c water (less for saltier taste)
2 Tbsp. mirin
2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, roasted and ground
2-3 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3-4 scallions, sliced on bias
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
Mix all ingredients. (Sugar will dissolve.) Can spoon sauce directly onto protein and serve with sticky rice. Can also reduce sauce slightly, or coat protein in sauce and serve with rice. Additional items for a meal: garlic bok choy, kim chee, noodles, sweet and sour soy beans, pickled sweet cucumber, daikon, etc.
NOT the bulgogi recipe, but using the sauce I had left over from when I did make it, and made a soba noodle with cashew dish...
BONUS!!!
Delicious Indian Takeout. Wish I made it, but I didn't.
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