German Chocolate Birthday Cake, Delicious Indian!

This is one of the best, if not the best cake I've made to date. It was boss! I used Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe and once again, thanks to padraigin917 on PPK. Bryanna's a proven hit-maker! One layer was the cake recipe from BCG, the other layer was VCTOTW's chocolate cake but using some dark cocoa. I know it's not traditional but it's great. The birthday boy isn't vegetarian, but he's got milk allergies and enjoys my food. I don't want to be a bragger, but everyone really liked it. I'm proud of this cake. Bryanna's mousse is like most vegan mousse that I enjoy and I think it was a nice touch, lighter than a buttercream. I think it went really well.






Next up is the PPK Dal. The roasting spices really made my mouth water. I am not natural at cooking Indian food. My palate can't tell what needs what, but for some reason it seemed really familiar. It's worth it to find and grind your spices. She says you can use mortar and pestle but go ahead and get a coffee grinder for spices.




Next up is a mesh of 2 recipes. I used Bryanna's Paneer and a mix of her Saag and Veggie Kitchen's. I will be going back to that blog again for sure.
My version: veggie kitchen's method, but no ginger, and only 1 jalapeno. Spice mix is 4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp garam masala and 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. I did Bryanna's cream mixture, and used the 4Tb. margarine called for, for the spices. When cooking after adding the spinach, I only cooked a few minutes, to soften. Don't let it get really dry. I blended the cream and the spinach together.



Don't forget the parathas/roti. I didn't make them, got them at the Asian market in the frozen section. So flaky and good!

All together:


Lastly, I had an Orangesicle Spritzer which is really yummy! Just Orange soda and ice cream. Recipe idea from Michael Chiarello.

You Down with OPB? Yeah You Know Me! Naan, Soup, Crabbycakes

Other Peoples' Blogs, obviously!

Let's Begin.
Isa's Tempeh Crab Cakes



FatFreeVegan's Potato Soup. Easy! Try her pumpkin spice bread. YUM.



Garlic Naan from RecipeZaar. Accompanied here by mixed veg/tofu curry and rice. Use the dough hook, y'all!



Look at my kittays!

Easy Gnocchi and BLT!

BLT!
This bacon is by no means mine but I wanted to share. It's from Dave over at PDX Cooking Club! Thanks for the recipe, Dave.

It was fun to make. The red spot is red food coloring. Add it to the liquids if you want to add it, instead of adding it after you knead it like I did. The thinner, the better. It was really good fried up and served with pancakes. Here I did a simple pasta salad.

Pressing


Slicing


BLT

Gnocchi (no pic, sorry).

This recipe is a veganized version of another one I found, but it has been altered a bit. I don't have a gnocchi roller so I just use a fork. The easy part about this is the instant potatoes. Use it all the first day. If you refrigerate and boil the next day, they get soft.


2/3 c instant potatoes
2/3 c boiling water
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer + 2 Tbsp warm water
1 drizzle (about 1 tsp) olive oil
1 tsp salt
1- 1 1/2 c flour


Add boiling water to potatoes, and mixm making sure to well incorporate. If they are too dry, just add 1 Tbsp extra water. Sprinkle salt over potatoes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the 2 Tbsp water, egg replacer powder. Then add the oil and mix again.

Add wet mixture to potatoes and slowly and gently add flour. I used just over 1 c. You want the mixture to be roll-able but the more you work it and the more flour you add, the denser the pasta will be. Go slowly and sprinkle on. Also use a floured cutting board when rolling.

Roll into a snake 1/2-3/4" wide and cut small pieces. Roll on a fork (or just leave in dumpling shape) and boil for a few minutes, until gnocchi float to the top.

Roasted Salsa

Roasted Salsa

Since I couldn’t find a recipe for Moe’s Who Is Kaiser Salsa, I decided to make my own roasted salsa. This isn’t like Moe’s at all, but it is good! Roasting brings out the natural sweetness. You can adjust to your flavor preferences.





10 or so roma tomatoes, cut into about 12 pieces each (quarter lengthwise, then run knife 2-3x across, depending on size)- or equivalent weight other tomatoes
2 extra roma tomatoes
1-2 large onions- I prefer sweet for this, and I used 2
7 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped small
3+ Jalapeno peppers, whole
1 tsp cumin,
2 tsp salt
¼ c light packed cilantro
1 large green onion
Generous squeeze lime juice

Preheat oven to 400:
Place tomatoes on a flat baking sheet or a large shallow baking pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.
Bake 40 min-1 hour. Remove when liquid is a little reduced and skins are a bit crinkly. Let cool completely.

Before you turn the oven off, turn the broiler on. Place jalapenos in a small pan and place on the top rack. Rotate often and char skin lightly. When skin is blistered and a little liquid is released, remove. They will be really fragrant. Place in a paper bag or container covered with plastic until cooled. This traps the heat and steams them and makes the skin easier to remove. Remove stem and cut down one side. Lay flat skin side down, and scrape out the seeds with the flat end of your knife, or a spoon. If you are careful, you can also remove the pepper from the skin.

Meanwhile- saute onions and 6 of the garlic cloves in a large pan on LO. Continue to cook on LO or MED-LO. You don’t want a brown. You can also do this in the oven.

When all are cooled, pour tomatoes (including juices) into a bowl and squish with your fingers.

Pulse onions, jalapenos, cilantro, green onion, remaining garlic clove (raw) and spices in a food processor. This will be sort of thick. I like mine sort of smooth.

Combine with the tomatoes and finely chop the remaining 2 tomatoes and add. Adjust flavors.


NOTE: I used 6 peppers and it was VERY hot. You will have to adjust to your preferences. If you do use 6 peppers, I would double the amount of tomatoes.

Pork Wonton Soup

Yum! I found this tasty, cheap "pork" gluten at my local Asian market. So far we've done hot BBQ pork/cucumber sushi. It's delicious grilled with sauce. So I decided to make wonton soup. I wanted the soup to be simple and the dumplings to be the star. Have I said a million times that I love dumplings of all sorts? You can also make these dumplings (do a simple triangle) and pan-steam them. Yum!





"Pork" Wonton Soup
1 can Wu-Chung fried pork, drained and pulsed to crumbles in food processor
2 cups small-chopped green cabbage
2 cloves garlic
1 small dried chili pepper, chopped very tiny
small piece ginger, minced (1 tsp)
2 green onions, chopped
2-3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 pkg vegan wonton wrappers
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
6 cups water
6 tsp/2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegan "chicken" broth, or vegetable broth.

-Soak mushrooms in hot water for 20 min. If using fresh, saute and set aside. Chop small. Can use water in broth for soup if desired.
-Heat a large skillet and add 1 tsp peanut/other neutral oil. Fry garlic, ginger, and chili pepper for about 30-45 seconds. Do not burn garlic because burned garlic will make everything bitter and it can't be fixed.
-Add "pork", soy sauce, and sesame oil and saute about 2-3 minutes, until mixture is not too wet.
-Add cabbage and a small handful of chopped green onions. Cook until cabbage is tender and wilted. Cool to room temperature or colder before making dumplings.
-Shape dumplings as desired, using 1/2-1 tsp filling per wonton. Do not overstuff.
Here is a great demonstration with 3 different folds, from Cmtoy on Youtube. Video posted with permission.
-Heat water to dissolve bouillon; boil and add dumplings. Add mushrooms and rest of green onion. Cook about 2 min or until dumplings are not starchy-looking, and wrappers have tightened around filling. Finish with sesame oil and extra soy sauce to taste in the broth.

This Cake. Is so. Good.

This cake's components are: 2 recipes basic chocolate cupcakes, 2 recipes Peanut Buttercream, and Ganache, all from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

I brought it in to work, and everyone liked it! I work at an omni restaurant and this cake was compared to egg- and dairy-containing counterparts. I was a little upset because on the ride to work, it smooshed up against the carrier :( oh well, it got devoured.

Nachos, Cantaloupe Smoothies, Cooking Idea

I made these nachos from those little tortilla bowls, but any tortilla chip will do. Added this easy, delicious bean dip from Veggie Kitchen (recipe below), nacho sauce recipe from Uncheese Cookbook and changed it a little. You can use any nacho saucy-type recipe you'd like. I added sliced black olives and roasted red pepper, and piped on some sour cream. Topped off with the thiiiiinnest slivers of raw jalapeno w/o the seeds.



Frijoles Negros/Black Bean Dip/Sandwich Spread -Reprinted with author's permission:
Black Bean Dip/Sandwich Spread
3 cups cooked black beans (2 cans)
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced (more to taste)
2 small shallots (2-3 tbs total)
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbs Vegenaise
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
dash cayenne pepper (or to taste)
salt to taste

Partially mash the beans so that they somewhat clump, but still have many whole beans. Stir the remaining ingredients together with the beans and season to taste with salt. The flavors, especially the shallot and jalapeno will mellow and blend with time. The were best eaten the next day, but let them sit, for at least an hour.(uh, that's assuming you can wait one hour)


I also have discovered that sometimes cantaloupes (actually musk melons) aren't as sweet as you'd like, or if they go a little soft but aren't bad...they make really good smoothies! They lend almost a creamy texture to the smoothie. I like to put cantaloupe, a couple ice cubes, water or juice, and frozen or fresh fruit.


And DUH, I never thought of it until I saw it on TV, but use a piping bag when making ravioli. Why did I use a spoon and a finger for so long!?

Pot Pie 2.0

There are fewer foods that I like more than a good savory pot pie. It's a casserole in a bowl with a crust! Come on! I would have to say that I'd choose pot pie over regular.

So when I saw Throwdown with Bobby Flay (don't judge me), it inspired me to cook another one, even though it's pretty warm here in Florida right now. I changed the Casserole Queens' Recipe quite a bit and used a basic pie crust recipe (Flour, Crisco, salt, ice water) instead of Puff Pastry, but Pepperidge Farm puff pastry is vegan so you can use that. I am no pie crust queen and don't have much in the way of patience so I just put it on top in pieces. Just do it and call it "rustic" and people won't know you suck at pie crust rolling. Please don't be intimidated by the recipe list- I just spaced it out so it's easier to read/use.



Pot Pie 2.0
2 carrots, chopped (don't peel)
2 small red potatoes, diced
1 c chopped broccoli

2 tablespoons margarine/olive oil
2 c Turkey or Chicken flavor Seitan, chopped

1 small-med onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
1/4 tsp (or less) poultry seasoning
generous pinch fresh black pepper

2 cups soy milk
1 cup soy cream (can use some or all soy milk to replace for less fat)

1/3 cup beer or wine
1-1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Directions

-Thaw puff pastry according to package directions if using. Make pie dough if using dough.
-Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
-Blanch carrots and broccoli, and boil potatoes until potatoes are fully cooked. Do it in batches if necessary. Drain and set aside.

-Meanwhile, in a large skillet melt margarine over medium-high heat. Add seitan and cook for several minutes. At this point you can chop small like I did, or leave in chunks. Stir frequently. Reduce heat to MED and add celery and onion and cook until tender.
-Stir in flour, salt, tarragon, poultry seasoning and black pepper until flour is evenly coating other ingredients, about 1 minute.
-Add soy milk/cream. Cook and stir until thickened and barely bubbling. Will still be soupy. Stir in beer/wine, peas, carrots, broccoli, and potatoes. Stir well.
-Transfer the hot seitan/vegetable mixture to a 1 1/2-quart casserole.
-Place pastry/dough over the mixture in casserole dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes.

Bonus: Fun Fortune!

It's Love Time

Just wanted to say I LOVE YOU to all of my readers. All at least 11 of you!



It's good to know someone actually reads my blog and/or tries my recipes.

Please keep cooking vegan!

XOXO
Pamela Cooks

Fancy Macs

I made the delicious Tempeh Reubens last night, and they reminded me of Big Macs from long ago because of the dressing. So I decided to make a vegan, healthier version of Big Mac. We had baked fries and left-over Deli Macaroni Salad from VCON. I really enjoyed them! There's no middle bun, but it doesn't bother me. Also, I used one patty and cut it in half, but you can use two patties if you are pretty hungry.





You Need (per Fancy Mac)

1 (or 2) of your favorite veggie burger
lettuce
tomato (opt. there is no tomato on a Big Mac as far as I know)
minced white ontion
pickles
VWAV tempeh reuben dressing-Below! (I reduce the lemon juice)
lettuce (I used romaine, chiffonade)
1 slices vegan cheese (I like tofutti cheddar slices)


Saute veggie burger(s) in a pan with some oil. If using 1 burger, cool a little and cut in half so you have 2 patties.
Stack it!

Botton bun- cheese- dressing- onion- lettuce- burger-pickle-top bun

Not sure of the exact order as the real thing but I liked it!

Vwav Tempeh Reuben Dressing
(Printed with permission)
1/3 c vegenaise
2 Tbsp. ketchup
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 Tbsp. capers
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
pinch cayenne

Mix ingredients and chill until ready to use.

Choco-tini Fuerte

This is a strong chocolate martini. It makes 3-4 drinks. You can thin it out with more soy milk or ice.
By "shot glasses" I mean the small glass shot glasses that are sold as a pack of 4. Each= 3 Tbsp/ 1.5 oz at the brim.

4 shot glasses vodka (nothing cheaper than Smirnoff or you will be sorry tomorrow)
2 shot glass Kahlua
1 shot glass chocolate syrup
3 shot glasses soy milk
8 ice cubes



Blend in a blender on High and serve. For service as shown, hold a martini glass and rotate while gently squeezing chocolate syrup so it comes out in a thin line. You can also put syrup in a saucer, then dip the rim of the glass in the syrup then in cocoa powder for maximum chocolate flavor.

Disclaimer:
Don't go crazy. PLEASE get a designated driver if you drink! I don't want you hurting anyone. This is for people who are of legal drinking age.

Ode to Roasted Garlic, Gumbo, and Lover's Pasta

I really love roasted garlic. I could mash it up and eat it plain on bread. It's so sweet and creamy and delicious. I should spring for one of those counter top kind that roasts in 30 minutes, but for now, I have just found a way to do it stove top. All you do is put a whole head of garlic in a small saucepan with a lid, turn it on MED-LO and put some olive oil in there. Turn the heat down to low and just go about your business. Turn over and break up halfway through if you want. The results are as beautiful and sweet as the oven would be.








Next... GUMBO! I had never had gumbo as an omni. To be honest..I always have thought that Cajun/Creole food is kind of unappetizing-looking (sorry!!). To me it looks like they really did go down to the swamp, stuck a ladle in, and served it. But there are other foods that I love (Indian) that are equally not-so-beautiful. You can't always judge a food by its appearance. I was also kind of scared to make gumbo, because okra tends to have a slimy property sometimes, and also I had never made a dark roux. Well, friends..it's worth it! The flavors were deep, and the roux was fun to make. And FYI, no slime. Kittee really has a gem with this recipe. It looks sort of complicated, but just make 1/2 recipe of Julie's sausages the day before and you're fine. Use the other 2 sausages if you want to make my Lover's Pasta below. You may as well make 1/2 or all of the recipe. It's not hard to make, it just has a lot of ingredients. There's no kneading!

Served, of course, with rice. And Cholula! The only non-Sriracha hot sauce I like


Lover's Pasta
This pasta is aptly named for a couple reasons- because both of you should eat it if you will be kissing. It’s heavy on garlic and onion, but if both eat it, you won’t notice. They say garlic boosts the libido, but who knows. This garlic cream sauce is thin. If you want a thick sauce, increase the margarine/flour or decrease the creamer/milk a little.



2 links Julie’s sausage, sliced thick
1 small onion, cut in ½ then in thin half-circles
½- ¾ lb linguini pasta, cooked and drained
All-purpose seasoning (I used Cavender’s today)
1 large bunch broccoli crowns (large florets, about 4 c, use less if you want)

For the roasted garlic cream sauce

1 head roasted garlic cloves, mashed up
2 Tbsp good margarine
2 Tbsp flour
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (opt)
2 c soy creamer and/or soy milk (I like Silk)
Thyme and basil to taste- I did a few shakes of each dried herb
Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare pasta by box directions and drain.

Meanwhile, add a little olive oil to a large high-sided pan on MED heat, and add onions. Cook until a little golden and tender. Add sausage slices and continue until sausages are sautéed and heated through. Season with all purpose seasoning.

Remove onion/sausage from pan and add to a medium bowl. Heat a little margarine in pan. Add broccoli and a splash of water and cook until broccoli is tender-crisp. Do not over-cook. Put into bowl with sausage and onion.

Meanwhile, make garlic cream sauce.
Heat margarine in a small saucepan on MED until it’s melted. Sprinkle in flour/nutritional yeast and whisk constantly until flour is heated through, there are no lumps, and the mixture becomes a little puffy (few minutes). Add about 1/3 of the soy creamer/milk and whisk. It will be very thick. Add the garlic and the rest of the cream while whisking and continue to whisk. Cook until sauce is bubbling but not a rolling boil.

Put pasta into each serving bowl, top with sausage/onion/broccoli mixture. Top with sauce. Garnish with fresh tomatoes if desired.

Pho and Spring Rolls

Lauren and Daniel came to visit and Lauren requested Pho and Spring Rolls. So..Pho and Spring Rolls they had.

I use this recipe as a base, but I use Better Than Bouillon vegan beef broth, and this time I added a cube of vegan Pho bouillon. You have to be careful to adjust the salt/soy sauce and the liquids used, make sure it is balanced. I just wanted a deep flavor, but the flavor mostly comes from the charred vegetables in the recipe, specifically the anise pods. I am re-posting the recipe here with a few modifications.




Pho from elliemay.com
for the broth...

1 small unpeeled onion, quartered
2 unpeeled shallots, halved (can also use more onion)
8 garlic cloves, halved
a 1-inch piece of ginger, coarsely sliced
two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
2 pods of star anise
4 cloves
8 cups clear vegetable stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt

for the soup ...
about 1 pound rice noodles (I use less)
8 ounces seitan or fried tofu, sliced
6 scallions, thinly sliced
about 1-1/2 cups bean sprouts
a good handful of basil, mint or cilantro leaves, left whole
1 lime, cut into wedges
hoisin sauce
sriracha chili paste

Cooking Instructions

To make the broth, heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves and dry-roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to char. Add the stock/bouillon/paste and soy sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Strain into a clean pot and discard the solids. Taste the broth and add salt if necessary. Keep warm over low heat.

While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles and if you haven't done so already, cook your seitan or tofu. I like to use beef seitan, sliced thin and seared over high heat on each side. Add a little steak sauce or marinade for the finish.

Place the noodles in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the noodles to cover and soak for 20 minutes OR boil rice noodles until done (happens quickly so stand by) and drain/rinse.

When you are ready to assemble the soup, pour broth into each bowl, add noodles to the broth and set up the rest of the ingredients on a platter. Set in the middle of the table. I like to do it this way, family style so each person gets exactly how much of everything they want.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Spring Rolls



This time, the spring rolls had teriyaki mushrooms, carrot, green onion, rice noodles, and tofu. I soaked some dried shiitakes until tender, then sauteed them with button mushrooms and added teryaki sauce to finish. Tofu was simply sauteed in peanut oil until crispy then cut from slabs into strips. If eating with the pho, you may want to skip the rice noodles, and cut romaine lettuce into ribbons. If anyone doesn't know how to do spring rolls, leave a comment and I will include instructions or a link to instructions. Also, serving on saran wrap adds a real touch of class!(not).
I used Vegan Planet's peanut sauce, but used homemade "fish" sauce and soy instead of all soy. It was fantastic!



Bonus pics!

Hawaiian Pizza w/Whole Wheat Crust

You can use whatever crust you want, but I wanted something slightly healthier/heartier, so I did a crust made with 1/2 whole wheat. I also used the May Wah Ham Tube!.



Hawaiian Pizza!
Make crust (below). While crust is rising, cook the ham and prepare the remaining ingredients.

1-8oz can pineapple tidbits (drain and save juice for drinks)
7-8 thin slices ham tube
peanut oil
few sprinkles liquid smoke
pinch whole fennel seeds
1/4 c (or + 2 Tbsp)spaghetti sauce
1-1 1/2 c finely shredded Follow Your Heart Mozz.

In a large pan, heat a bit of peanut oil over med/med-hi. Add fennel seeds and ham slices. Turn over when very lightly browned and add liquid smoke. Remove from heat.

After crust has had 4 minute bake, spread sauce thinly over entire crust. Add 1/2 the cheese, and arrange ham slices to cover whole pizza. Top with drained pineapple tidbits, spread evenly over entire pizza. Top with remaining 1/2 of the cheese. You can adjust cheese level to your preference.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 more minutes. I like to melt the cheese under the broiler. Today I guess I just discovered my broiler has a LO setting, so that's great.
Crust
I modified this slightly from this recipe to fit a mixer with a dough hook.

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 c. whole wheat flour or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 to 2/3 c. warm water
1/4 c. warm water
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. olive oil (opt)
Vegetable cooking spray

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes, addinng a pinch of sugar if desired.

Combine flours and salt in mixer bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and oil (opt). Add enough warm water to make a moderate stiff dough and mix well with a dough hook. Can be a little dry and piece-y. Cover and let stand 15 minutes (can keep in mixing bowl or new oiled bowl. Cover with damp towel). After the 15 minutes, knead in mixer 3 minutes on low setting.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half in 12 inch circle (or an amoeba, as shown).

Place each on 12 inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 4 minutes. May freeze extra crust for later use.

Green Stuffed Shells

I made these shells with more veggies in mind. It was actually supposed to be a lasagna but I didn't have lasagna noodles. I made it with Mean Green Spinach sauce, but about 1/2 the recipe was used, so if you are *just* making this, then 1/2 the recipe.



The Mean Green sauce is VERY spinach-y. If you don't like spinach a lot, then I would suggest to pick another sauce or omit.

Green Stuffed Shells w/Mean Green Spinach Sauce

1/2 recipe Mean Green Spinach Sauce (recipe follows)
1 small batch white sauce (recipe follows)
1 recipe tofu ricotta
3-4 med size piece seitan, chopped, cooked and seasoned (maybe 3/4-1 cup)
pasta shells (I used about 12 but used 10oz tofu. Adjust for your ricotta recipe)
spaghetti sauce for pan
hand full (1 c) chopped broccoli

*Make whichever tofu ricotta you like. Chill in refrigerator.
*Cook seitan until crispy and mix with ricotta. Chill while you prepare dish.
*Cook large pasta shells as directed, and rinse with cold water. Set aside. Do not drain water. Throw broccoli in boiling water and cook a few minutes until tender but not mushy. Chop and set aside.
*Make Mean Green Spinach Sauce and white sauce while shells are cooking (or make spinach sauce the day ahead and chill).
*Pour a little spaghetti sauce in a small square nonstick baking pan.
*Fill cooled shells with ricotta mixture. Top with broccoli.
*Place each shell in pan, and top with Mean Green Spinach Sauce, White Sauce, a little more shapgetti sauce, and optional vegan cheese.
*Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until well-heated through. Broil to melt cheese the last couple minutes, if using. Keep an eye on it.



Mean Green Spinach Sauce
1/2 c packed cilantro (or if you are a hater, just double parsley)
1/2 c packed parsley
1/2 frozen block spinach (makes 2-2 1/2 Tbsp spinach when thawed and squeezed). You could probably also just use 2 lare handfuls fresh spinach
1 c vegetable/vegan "chicken" flavor broth
2 Tbsp. soy milk
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine
1/2- 1 tsp. cornstarch

Blend everything very, very well in a blender and place on low heat until thickened and just barely boiling. Makes a crazy bright green sauce. I would suggest to eat it with another sauce. It's strongly flavored, but good in applications like this.

White Sauce
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 c soy milk
salt and pepper.

Melt margarine in a saucepan, then whisk flour and nutritional yeast until crumbly and toasted. Do not burn. Add 1/4 c soy milk and break down chunks. Add other 1/4 c soy milk and keep stirring until thickened but not too thick. Set aside.

Coleslaw, Chili Cheese Bake

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope this year brings everyone a lot of happiness.

In completely unrelated news, since I'm not hosting any parties, there's no party food. I did have some last year though if you are interested in the Holiday Appetizer Menu. It's got that spinach artichoke dip that I love and is omni-approved multiple times.

Today, we are talking about coleslaw and another casserole!

Coleslaw
To make coleslaw, lots of people use a ton of mayonnaise. There's nothing wrong with this, (Vegenaise is what I use) but this leads to a lot of avoidable fat and it is a bit wasteful because a lot of the sauce is wasted. To make a good coleslaw, you don't need a lot of mayo. You need time. I use a fraction of the mayonnaise of traditional coleslaw and I feel it has all the flavor! The salt and vinegar break down the cabbage. Make a day ahead if you will be crunched for time. I do use a bagged mix because I don't eat a ton of cabbage. If you do, then by all means cut your own. For me it's $1.29 for the Publix brand and that's cheaper than buying both red and green cabbage, and carrots. This is one of the FEW times I would ever suggest a bagged mix of anything pre-chopped.



1 lb colw slaw cabbage mix (or make your own)
1/4 - 1/4 + 2 Tbsp Vegenaise or home made vegan mayo
1 Tbsp white vinegear
1 Tbsp soy milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt (add to taste, later)
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
dash celery seed (opt) or you can use celery salt and cut back on plain salt

Mix everything except cabbage mix in a bowl until decently integrated. Add cabbage and toss well. It will look like there is no way it's enough liquid. It is.
LET SIT in the fridge about 1/2 hour. Stir well. Let sit another 1/2 hour or more. Fold occasionally so the dry cabbage on top gets the liquid from the bottom on it.

Can easily double this recipe. There will be a smaller volume of coleslaw after the cabbage has broken down. I would still say it makes 4 decent side dishes.


Chili Cheese Bake
I got this idea from a PPKer and tried it myself. It's good!



*12 oz pasta (macaroni, rotelle, something casserole-worthy)
*2 c chili, home made or canned like Amy's. I used My own
*1 recipe Vegan Explosion's Queso, mostly as directed: I also used 1/2 and 1/2 water/soy milk then added about 1/3- 1/2 c extra soy milk.
*Shredded vegan cheese, optional. (I used FYH, about 1/3 block)

Cook and drain pasta, and add prepared chili and queso. Top with optional cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Cheap Eating

I was listening to Canadian show [i]As It Happens[/i] and they had a segment on cooking, and talked about a book that is really popular this year. It's called *deep breath* How To Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy, Balanced Diet with Very Little Money and Hardly Any Time, Even if You Have a Tiny Kitchen, Only Three Saucepans (One with an Ill-fitting Lid) and no Fancy Gadgets – Unless You Count the Garlic Crusher.. I'm not plugging this book because I know nothing about it. But it did get me thinking- this is how I generally tend to cook. I'm sure the book's not vegetarian, but the fact that it's outselling Ms. Hottie Chef of the Year herself, Nigella Lawson, says something. The show's host asked listeners to share tips. Since I had to type it out anyway, here they are (and I should follow my own advice!). Please feel free to leave your own comments on cheaper cooking! I need all the help I can get.



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*Get a cheap pressure cooker and start buying dried beans. They end up being less than half the price of canned. You can also freeze many of them for later use. Using beans instead of ground meat/meat substitute is also cheaper.

*If you have stores in your area that show their circulars online, you can compare and shop. Here we have Publix and Winn-Dixie that both publish their circulars online. Watch out for 2-for-1 specials. Lots of times this includes canned or fresh vegetables and spaghetti sauces, and store-brand pastas.

*I have found it's cheaper for me to buy spaghetti sauce jarred- even organic with the 2-for-1 special- than it is to make from scratch or even from canned tomatoes. If you have cheap, delicious tomatoes available then by all means. Make a ton and freeze it.

*Many vegetarians/vegans including myself eat what is called seitan (say-tan or say-tahn). It's made from wheat gluten and WAY cheaper if you make it yourself. There are recipes online for it. It is probably about 1/3-1/4 the price if you make rather than buy. Maybe even cheaper than that.

*Regarding other meat substitutes, like veggie "crumbles" that are made to replace ground beef, you can make your own with TVP/TSP (textured vegetable protein/ textured soy protein). You can also make your own veggie sausages.

*Use marinades as sauces. This is easy for vegetarians since there is no risk of salmonella/other bacteria transfer from raw meat. You can reduce most marinades in a pan and top your food with them. You can also re-use your marinades in many cases.

*Don't buy pre-chopped foods. They are ridiculously overpriced. You can get a whole bag of onions for the price of 1 or 2 pre-chopped onions (same goes with bell peppers, generally. Sometimes mushrooms are the same price chopped/whole). It's wasteful of plastic and it takes 10 seconds-1 minute to chop an onion depending on how fast you are. Pre-chopped also tends to spoil faster. Get a sharp chef knife and learn how to chop. This pretty much goes for most convenience items.

*Cook items that are cheaper, like spaghetti and chili, and some casseroles. These can be high in protein and low in fat if you make them that way. They also keep for a while and feed an army.

*Don't buy pre-packaged salads unless they are on sale. Or, you can extend your salad mix by adding some more greens, such as a bulk package of romaine. Iceburg has very little nutrition so stick to darker greens.

*If you like junk food like chips, buy the big bag and take a serving to work with you in a plastic baggie or container. Single-serve items are always more expensive per weight, and wasteful of packaging.

*Store your foods correctly. Here in Florida, it's really humid so we have to wrap everything up or it gets stale. But also, keeping food in tightly-sealed containers keeps bugs out.

*Make a list- make sure you aren't buying and wasting duplicates.

Noodle Soup Oracle!

I stumbled on this today. How cool!

Do you love noodles? Do you love soup? Click and you have a noodle soup suggestion. Be sure to check the Vegetarian Box. Sometimes it suggests eggs, but you can leave them off.

Click Here!

How cool!

Creamy Mushroom-in-Phyllo Appetizers

Sometimes when you wing it, it goes not that great. Sometimes when you wing it, it's really, really yummy! I got lucky last night. I wanted to use cream cheese and mushrooms in a savory pocket. Puff pastry is awesome for some things, but I wanted something really flaky and crisp without as much fat so I got some Phyllo. I had seen Mollyjade's post earlier in the week and wanted to do something with a different direction.





It's not terrible to work with if you do several things:

*Have enough space- make space for the phyllo itself plus space for working with it (I used a cutting board for the work surface)
*Work quickly- you don't have to rush things but the key is that the sheets don't dry out. They are super-thin and pretty delicate but not so delicate that they can't be worked with.
*Don't Let Them Dry Out-Keep a damp paper towel on top of the dough. Wet a paper towel and ring it out really, really well. If the towel is too wet, your layers can stick to the towel and break apart.

3/4-1 lb button mushrooms, chopped small
1 large shallot, minced (can use 1/4 regular white onion, minced)
large pinch dried rosemary
large pinch dried thyme
1-3 tsp soy sauce
about 1/2 c white wine (or vegetable broth)
2-3 Tbsp tofutti cream cheese
small piece of vegan cheese, grated (about 1/4 c. I used FYH Mozz.)
fresh cracked black pepper\
melted margarine, for "buttering"

Melt a little margarine/oil in a large, high-sided pan, and add shallots. Let sweat, but do not brown. Add mushrooms and cook until they release liquid.

Add rosemary,thyme, and soy sauce and continue to cook until almost all of the liquid is almost gone.

Toss in the wine and stir well, getting all the good bits from the pan. Add cream cheese and shredded cheese until smooth. Cream cheese should dissolve and mix in but it's not crucial that the shredded cheese melt.

Add in pepper and salt to taste (may not need salt). If a little bitter, add a small pinch of sugar and mix well.

Let cool, and wrap in Phyllo. I did *every* step in these pictures, so don't be intimidated. I am also left-handed so if you are right-handed, just put the filling on the other side and wrap to the right if it makes you comfortable.

Place sheet on surface.

Butter.

If using 2 sheets (optional) place 2nd sheet directly on top of first. And butter.


Fold sheet over lengthwise.

Butter it.

Filling

Folding it over and over and over



When you come to the end, just add more margarine and fold over.



Place seam side (last side that was open) down, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, flipping over at the 10-minute mark. They should be crispy on the outside and golden-colored.