monday yummies

today was *such* a monday - internet down, josh moved out, car went to the shop, fell off my bike! i feel good overall despite it all and wanted to share the simple yet yummy recipe i made for dinner using ingredients scrounged from cabinets.

chop and roast golden beets in the oven with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme

cook quinoa...when cooked, add a handful of walnuts and dried cherries. cover and let sit for a few minutes.

add cooked beets into quinoa and toss with some balsalmic vinegar and olive oil

enjoy all the sensations! warm...crunchy...tart...sweet...buttery. yum.

hempified banana walnut oatmeal raisin cookies

a variation on my last recipe - thanks to josh for the idea behind this one!

1 c. soy margarine
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. evaporated cane juice (or white sugar of your choice)
2 t. vanilla extract
2 T. hemp milk (soy, rice or other vegan milk will do too)
2 over-ripe bananas, blended until smooth

1.5 c. unbleached white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon

2 c. oats
1/2 c. hemp seed nuts

pre-heat oven to 350. beat margarines and sugars together. add in remaining wet ingredients and mix well. combine dry ingredients (flour to cinnamon in list above) in a separate bowl, then mix them well into the wet ingredients. dough should be sticky - if not, add a little extra hemp milk (this all depends on the size and liquidity factor of your bananas!)., then stir in oats and hemp seed.

place lumps of dough (~1 inch diameter) on greased baking sheet. these spread pretty well, so you don't need to press them down unless you prefer a much crispier cookie. bake 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. repeat with remaining dough.

hempified oatmeal raisin cookies

my hiatus in blogging has been due to a number of factors...enjoying the summer, and eating a diet of primarily kitchari lately being the main ones. i made these cookies the other day and they are amazing, probably the best oatmeal raisin cookies i've ever had...and i've mashed up the recipe to include some hemp goodness in these!

1 c. soy margarine
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. evaporated cane juice (or white sugar of your choice)
2 t. vanilla extract
2 T. hemp milk (soy, rice or other vegan milk will do too)
6 T. apple sauce

1.5 c. unbleached white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon

2 c. oats
1 c. raisins
1/2 c. hemp seed nuts

pre-heat oven to 350. beat margarines and sugars together. add in remaining wet ingredients and mix well. combine dry ingredients (flour to cinnamon in list above) in a separate bowl, then mix them well into the wet ingredients. then stir in oats, raisins and hemp seed.

place lumps of dough (~1 inch diameter) on greased baking sheet. these spread pretty well, so you don't need to press them down unless you prefer a much crispier cookie. bake 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. repeat with remaining dough.

lemon leek israeli couscous

this is a super simple side dish i whipped up tonight...

5 medium sized leeks, whites only
strained juice from 1 large lemon (2-3 T.)
1 T. olive oil
1 cup dry israeli couscous
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt & pepper
8-10 artichoke hearts, cut into quarters

chop the leeks into ~1/2-inch pieces. bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then add the leeks and cook until tender. drain the leeks, reserving the cooking water. measure out two cups of the cooking water and use this to cook the israeli couscous (bring the water to a boil, add couscous, cook until liquid is gone OR until couscous is desired texture and then drain). while the couscous cooks,put leeks in a blender and puree until smooth. add in lemon juice and olive oil and some salt and pepper. give it another whirl in the blender. when couscous is ready, mix it together with the leek mixture. add nutritional yeast and additional salt and pepper, if desired. stir in artichoke hearts and enjoy!

summer strawberry muffins

these muffins are perfect in my book...not too sweet and with a touch of tart strawberry goodness. if you like a sweeter muffin, you may want to adjust things a bit...perhaps toss the strawberries in a sweetener of choice before adding them in, or create a strudel topping with margarine, sugar, flour and cinnamon.

ingredients:

1/3 c. evaporated cane juice, sugar or sweetener of choice
1/4 c. earth balance or other veg margarine
egg replacer of choice for one egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/3 c. unbleached white flour
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. soymilk
1 1/2 c. chopped fresh strawberries

pre-heat oven (350 degrees). cream butter and sugar together, then add in egg replacer and vanilla. mix in dry ingredients, along with soymilk. then, fold in strawberries gently. place in muffin cups or a greased muffin tin. bake 20-25 minutes or longer if needed.

smoothie goodness

one of the best parts of summer is whipping up smoothies using whatever goodies are around from the farmers market...here is the one i am drinking right now:

~1/4 cup chilled coconut milk
one whole peach, diced
one ripe-ish banana

blend and enjoy!

super easy peanut sauce

this is my own creation, which i am posting here mostly for my own reference so i can remember this next time i want to make it, and also so others can enjoy it...

1.5 c. coconut milk
1.5 c. natural peanut butter (i.e., no sugar added)
2 T. soy sauce or Bragg's liquid aminos
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. rice vinegar
1-2 T. diced chilis (e.g., thai chilis, jalapenos, serranos)
1-2 T. sriracha (or other garlic chili sauce) - optional
water or extra coconut milk (as needed)

combine all ingredients except water/extra coconut milk in a small sauecpan. cook over a low flame until heated through. once hot, add water/extra coconut milk to achieve desired consistency. cook a minute or two longer - do not cook longer than this or the sauce will begin to solidify.

this is a good dipping sauce for lightly fried tofu, or can be used to make peanut noodles.

veganized banana bread

it turns out my mom's delicious banana bread is just as scrumptious when veganized!

2 cups unrefined sugar
3/4 cup canola oil (or oil of your choice...i used avocado oil this last time around and it worked just great!)
substitute of your choice for 3 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/3 t. baking soda
1/4 cup sour soymilk (add 1 T. lemon juice to soymilk)
5 large, uber-ripe bananas***
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (depending on how nutty you like things)

preheat oven to 350 degrees. mash bananas - if you have used frozen bananas, they will be pretty mushy and you may not even need to do this. dissolve baking soda in milk (the mixture will foam...kind of like those "volcanoes" you made in grade school). combine sugar, oil, egg sub, vanilla and soymilk mixture. add bananas
and mix well. combine flour and salt and add to wet ingredients along with the nuts. mix thoroughly and pour into 2 greased loaf pans or a single bundt pan. bake for 45
minutes to an hour. cool in pans for about 20 minutes then remove and finish cooling on racks.

***i usually freeze my old bananas that get brown and smelly and wait until i have enough saved up to make this.

lemon poundcake

i made this for a potluck yesterday....

ingredients:
2 cups unrefined sugar
1 cup Earth Balance (or other vegan margarine)
egg substitute for 4 eggs
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup "buttermilk" (mix 2 t. lemon juice with enough soymilk to equal 3/4 cup)
2 T. freshly grated lemon peel
1.5 T. lemon juice
1 t. lemon extract

pre-heat oven to 325. beat sugar and margarine together in large bowl. beat in egg substitute slowly, in about 4 equal parts (i.e., pretend you are adding in four eggs, one at a time). until well mixed. reduce mixer speed and gradually add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt alternately with "buttermilk" until well mixed. stir in lemon peel, lemon juice and lemon extract.

spoon batter into greased and floured bundt pan, or one large loaf pan, or two small loaf pans. bake for 40 to 60 minutes. cool 10 minutes; remove from pan, then cool completely.

quick mango w/ jasmine rice "pudding"

after enjoying a thai curry the other night, the natural finish for the meal would have been some yummy mango and sticky rice. however, lacking sticky rice and coconut milk, josh whipped up this tasty treat instead! all you have to do is mixed cooked & cooled jasmine rice with a little vanilla soyogurt, and serve with mango slices.

since i've mentioned soyogurt, i'll take this opportunity to plug wildwood organics' line of soyogurts. they are the best i've had, way superior to silk or any others. i think it is available mainly on the west coast - for those who do not have access to it, i would strongly encourage you to ask your local stores to carry it - you won't be disappointed.

more vegan blogging goodness

i got a nice note from another vegan blogger (who incidentally works at angelica kitchen, whose cookbook i am currently obsessed with after receiving it from my sis). check out carmichael's blog here.

quinoa patties

i can't take credit for veganizing this recipe, but wanted to share it nonetheless. it comes from my sister, elaine, who is currently obsessed with this grain.

2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup fresh cilantro (or basil)
½ cup diced onion
½ cup cooked and drained black beans
1 t. seasoning salt
3 cups cooked quinoa
½ cup diced red bell pepper
¼ cup minced green onion
Bread crumbs as needed (approx. ½ to ¾ cup)
Canola oil and butter, mixed

Blend garlic, nuts, cilantro or basil, onion, black beans, and salt in a food
processor. Mix quinoa, red pepper, and green onion in a bowl. Add the
blended mixture. Add bread crumbs gradually, enough so the mixture
holds together. Form into patties, whatever size you like. Roll the
shaped patty in the crumbs to create a seal and crust. Heat a skillet
over medium flame. Add a small amount of oil and butter in equal
parts; cook patties about 3-5 minutes on each side or until browned.
Serve on buns with your favorite condiments, or with baked fries, or
on top of brown rice.

notes: make quinoa an hour or two before making patties - it needs to be somewhat cooled or the patties won't stick together. adding a little olive oil will help warm quinoa patties stick together better. if you don't have time to make the quinoa in advance, you can just skip making the patties and just eat the mixture as it is - it's quite delicious that way too.

you can use garbanzos instead of black beans - i did this and it had a nice flavor.

carrot ginger muffins

undecided on whether to make carrot raisin muffins or gingerbread this evening, i settled on a compromise that combines the two. here's the vegan version i came up with:

2 cups flour
3 t. baking powder
Egg substitute for 2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup unrefined sugar
4 T. Earth Balance (or soybutter of your choice)
2 large carrots, shredded
3/4 cup soymilk
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
3 t. dry powdered ginger
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 t. vanilla
Optional: 3/4 cup raisins and/or nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crumble earth balance/soybutter into small pieces and let soften. In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder with the soybutter, using a pastry cutter or fingers to break down the butter into fine pieces mixed with the flour. Add sugars, ginger, carrot, soymilk, egg substitute, vanilla, and spices to the mixture and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add raisins or nuts if using them. Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool.

tagliatelle w/ mushrooms and chive cream sauce

this is not only a veganized recipe, but also a hybrid of two recipes i found online.

1/2 lb. mixed mushrooms (i used cremini and oyster)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup soy cream
2 T. torn fresh basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutritional yeast or other thickening agent (optional)
1 package dried tagliatelle (i recommend trader joe's sprouted wheat pappardelle)

For chive oil:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 t. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
2 large bunches chives, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Half fill a large saucepan with water. Season with salt and/or oil and bring to a boil.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
3. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan.
4. Sauté the shallot for 1-2 minutes to soften.
5. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are golden.
6. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
7. Add the soy cream and simmer for 3-4 minutes until heated through and slightly thickened.
8. While sauce is simmering, process all chive oil ingredients in a blender until creamy and no lumps are present.
9. Stir chive oil into mushroom cream mixture and cook until heated through. Add nutritional yeast flakes (or other thickening agent of your choice) as desired to thicken the sauce to desired consistency.
10. Drain the pasta.
11. Stir the basil into the mushrooms and season well with salt and black pepper.
12. Fold the tagliatelle into the creamy mushroom chive sauce, then serve immediately.

vegan artichoke pesto

14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
about 1 c. loose basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

process artichokes, nuts, yeast and garlic until a paste is formed. add in lemon juice, then slowly add in olive oil w/ motor running. finally, add basil leaves and pulse until leaves are broken into smallish pieces. add salt and pepper to taste. serve w/ pasta, or on lightly toasted baguette slices for a quick hors d'oeuvres idea.

serving suggestion: goes very well w/ tofurkey's italian sausage. i sauteed the sausages in a bit of olive oil to make them warm and crispy and then mixed them into a batch of whole wheat penne, along with the pesto.

veganizing the world...

one recipe at a time.

since becoming vegan, one of my favorite things to do is to find non-vegan recipes and veganize them while maintaining the quality and flavor integrity of the original recipe. this blog will be a place for me to share the veganized versions of said recipes, as well as recipes for my original creations.