Vegan MoFo, Day 12: Stuff on Bread with Fancy Names

The only thing to do after baking loaves of bread is to, well, eat it! Why not on a sandwich? Too predictable and easy. Why not use the bread in some open-faced tastiness?

Here are two tasty recipes guaranteed to warm you up and cure your soul.

Vegetarian Ragout a la Newburg
adapted from Meatless Meals, page 111
serves 4--supplies protein, starch, and mineral elements

1/2 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, sliced
1/4 green cabbage, sliced
1/2 cup peas
1 tomato, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp vegan butter
2 Tbsp AP flour
1 cup soymilk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 slices of bread, toasted

Saute the onion, red pepper, and cabbage in olive oil until softened. Add peas, tomato, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and saute for several more minutes. In a small sauce pan, mix butter and flour, then add soymilk and whisk until smooth. Add salt and pepper to white sauce. Place toasted bread on plates, top with veggie mixture, and then pour on white sauce. Serve hot.

{perfect autumn recipe}

{totally satisfying and filling}

{gooey white sauce goodness}

Mushrooms a la Sabine

adapted from Meatless Meals, page 39

serves 4--supplies protein, fat, and starch

2 Tbsp vegan butter

1/2 small onion, diced

1 package mushrooms

2 tsp AP flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp vegan butter (for sauce)

1 Tbsp AP flour (for sauce)

1 cube vegan "chicken" bouillion

2 cups hot water

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 slices of bread, toasted

Shredded cheddar vegan cheese, such as Daiya

2 green onions, sliced

Wash mushrooms with a damp towel to remove dirt. De-stem the mushrooms, and peel the caps. In a bowl, sprinkle the mushrooms with flour and salt. Saute the diced onion in butter in a pan, then add mushrooms to brown. If the pan gets too dry from the flour but the mushrooms have browned a bit, add 1/4 cup water (it's OK, you're going to be adding the brown sauce later anyway). In a small saucepan, add 1 Tbsp each vegan butter and flour and mix. Melt the vegan "chicken" cube in the hot water, then add to the pan. Whisk until brown sauce is smooth. Add black pepper to sauce. Add sauce to mushrooms and allow to simmer for five minutes. Place toasted bread on plates, then spoon mushrooms onto bread, and pour sauce over. Top with shredded vegan cheese and sliced green onions. Serve hot.

{an hors d'oeuvre transformed into a meal}

{mushrooms are the best!}

{mushroom-tastic!}

Reminds me of meals my mom used to make!

Jes

VMF 2011 Day 12: Survey Time!
VMF 2010 Day 12: Apple Pancakes with Passionfruit Tea-Infused Maple Syrup. Yup.

Vegan MoFo, Day 29: Rent Week Dinner!

Ain't no week like rent week. I know you know what I am talking about. Especially if you are trying to make a living while also going to school. When it comes to meal planning for rent week, we go cheap around here.

Do you have wilting veggies in the fridge? Use those. What about grains/beans/lentils/etc. that have been taking up valuable pantry space? How about that! And why not throw it all together into one dish? Sounds like a plan, Stan.

I give you...

"God, I Am Broke and Need To Pay Rent and Also Eat...Meal"

serves 2

1/2 cup red/orangey split peas or lentils (I forget)

water (enough to boil them in)

coconut oil/spread

2 carrots, slices on a bias

1 red onion, diced

6 baby port. mushrooms, sliced

2 cups fresh baby spinach

S&P

vegan Worcestershire sauce

onion powder

smoked paprika

1 tbsp. curry paste

1/2 tsp jalapeno paste

Boil the red/orange split peas/lentils until tender, about 30 minutes.

In a skillet, saute the carrots and onions in coconut oil or spread. Add the mushrooms and possibly more coconut oil or spread, if needed. Add the spinach, jalapeno paste, curry paste, and seasonings, plus about 1/4 cup water. Cover with a lid until the spinach is steamed. Add in the cooked split peas/lentils.

Top with cilantro that you need to use up before it goes bad.

And there you have it, a rent week meal to be proud of.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to don my hipster costume for the Halloween party this evening. Another thing I saved on since it's all my own clothing, ha!

Jes

Vegan MoFo, Day 2: Spaghettaaaaah.

Oi, people and their dang spaghetti. I swear, serve anything that isn't precisely spaghetti, marinara, and meatballs, and you get noodles thrown in your face.

On one side of the spectrum are knock-off brands of Chef Boyardee, and on the other is the stereotypical spaghetti with two huge meatballs. And if you're not stuffing your face with meatballs, there's something wrong with you.

Thus, I give you my version of Spaghetti.

Otherwise known as:

"Squash Trying To Be More Than What It Is"

makes 2 servings, but I ate the whole 1/2 squash myself

1/2 spaghetti squash (save the other half in the fridge for later)

marinara

1 large can whole tomatoes (the whole ones are better than the diced ones...there's logic to it)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced/pressed

handful of basil

S&P, oregano, red pepper flakes

toppings

chickpeas, cooked (goes w/out saying, but still...)

mushrooms, sliced

chopped fresh parsley

To make the sauce: Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil. Meanwhile, whir up the entire can of tomatoes and the tomato paste in a blender. Add the cooked onion-garlic mixture, fresh basil, and seasonings, and blend until, well, blended.

Put the 1/2 squash cut side down on a plate. Stab it a few times with a knife. You can add a smidge of water to the plate. I tried it both ways: the first time I didn't use any water, and the second time I added like a teaspoon of water onto the plate. Didn't really tell a difference. Microwave the 1/2 section for about 5-6 minutes until the squash is soft. Let it rest for about 3 minutes until it is cool enough to handle. Then go at it with a fork and get all starry-eyed at the wondrousness of gourds!

Microwave the sliced mushrooms and chickpeas until warm.

Top the "pasta" with the mushrooms, chickpeas, and 1/2 cup of the marinara. Throw some chopped parsley on top.

And then realize that your pasta rocks, and anyone who doesn't agree will get pasta in their face! Kapeesh?

Jes

Roasted Turnips and Mushrooms and Some Cauli-mash

I'm was uber-tired today at work (ugh.) but decided to try out two recipes that I ran across in recent days.

The first is from Food Network Magazine Jan/Feb 2011 but also found here on their website: Roasted Turnips and Mushrooms

Next on my plate is a lovely recipe perfected by Nora at Pride and Vegudice, a blog that I've been reading most of 2010: Mashed Cauliflower

Both dishes were really tasty (and used UNDER-used veggies!), but I have to give big props to Nora's Cauliflower Mash. That was sooooooo good, and The Hubs even tried a bite.

In other news, I made some resolutions. I figured I'd keep up the winning streak (I successfully kept a resolution for the first time ever: not to eat meat in 2010!). They range from paying bills on time to getting a sewing machine to cutting out high fructose corn syrup and aspartame. I have many others, but those seem to be the most important to me (not necessarily in that order). What are your resolutions? Ever have success with any?

Jes

LAST VEGAN MOFO POST...*SNIFFLE*

I am so proud that I got to be a part of this wonderful group of people here. I've read some superb posts by fellow bloggers, some really dynamic and creative stuff! And it made me want to strive to emulate just a fraction of the greatness I was seeing.

You all are very special. You see the possibilities of a simple carrot and the beauty within it. Be proud of what you have done and will continue to do with whatever your veg background is or will be. Thank you for one of the best months I've certainly ever had before. I think it should really be a bi-annual thing, but I'm not complaining :) At least you would get a taste of seasonal foods on the OTHER side of the year!

Please continue reading. I know I will continue reading more lovely and brilliant blogs in the future. I'm still pumped!

In other news, here's what's on my plate:

I made stuffed and baked mushroom tops from the PETA Vegan College cookbook (except they microwave them).

Basically it's mushroom tops stuffed with bread crumbs, Earth Balance, chives and the stems (finely diced). To that, I added diced black olives, garlic and onion powder and S&P and topped them additionally with mozz. Daiya (and vegan Worcestershire, which was The Hubs' idea). And I baked them. Yum!

And here's dinner from the previous evening. A quick chickpea salad, also from PETA's college cookbook. Just chickpeas, Vegenaise, and chopped celery. I also added fresh dill, sriracha, minced shallot and paprika. And put it on a bun, which actually worked out quite well for me!

Adieu, mon cher Vegan MoFo. Bon soir.

Jes

Cranberry Vinaigrette, FTW!

Here I sit, Sunday morning--dishes done, laundry underway, veg stock boiling away on the stove, more acorn squash bread on the agenda, eating a second round of my dinner from Saturday night. And WHAT a dinner it was...

I had been blabbing about making my cranberry vinaigrette for a while now, at least a week or two, and I FINALLY got around to making it. Do you have leftover fresh cranberries? MAKE A VINAIGRETTE!

There are really three steps to this recipe. First, you make the "jelly;" then you make the actual vinaigrette; and finally you make the croutons.

First, the "jelly:"

1 bag fresh cranberries (I used Ocean Spray brand)

1 cup turb. sugar

1 cup water

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a pan, making sure the sugar has completely dissolved. This is essentially a simple syrup. Reduce heat.

Add the bag o'cranberries (good to rinse and drain them first though). They will begin popping after about 30 seconds or so. The addition of a lid would be great at this point, unless you want to get popped with hot syrup! Cook the cranberries in the syrup for about 10-12 minutes and then let cool a bit off of the heat. Strain the pulp through a sieve into a dish that you can fit into the refrigerator to cool completely. This will not really set into a firm jelly, but it works for the vinaigrette. I imagine you could probably save the remaining pulp for something, maybe a bread, but I just tossed mine out.

After the "jelly" has cooled in the fridge, it's time to build the vinaigrette!

1/2 cup cranberry "jelly"

1 cup oil (I used olive for this)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 of a minced shallot

S & P

chopped, fresh dill (maybe 1 tbsp?)

It is best to have an immersion hand blender for this, but you could whir it in a food processor or blender as well. First add the cranberry "jelly," shallot, and vinegar and whir. Then add the dill and salt/pepper and whir again. Then add the oil while the mixer is on, if you can. What you get will be a wonderfully PINK dressing that looks splendid on any salad!

Also, I made some shallot-crusted croutons for the salad. I used two slices of the artisan bread I had sitting around from the grilled cheese sandys earlier this week. Cube the bread, toss with oil, S&P, and oregano. Spread out the cubes on a pan. Combine half a minced shallot and a spot of oil in a bowl and use a brush to coat/spoon the mixture onto the bread cubes. Don't worry if some makes it onto the pan instead of the bread. Those will turn out well, too :) Bake at 250deg. for about an hour, checking every now and then.

After those have cooled, it's time to make the salad! You can go in any direction with this, I am sure of it, but here is what I did:

romaine, chopped

alfalfa sprouts

dried cranberries (bringing in the theme of the vinaigrette...)

sliced almonds

sliced mushrooms

topped with the croutons and cranberry vinaigrette

Look at that GORGEOUS cranberry vinaigrette!

Another benefit: now I have leftover cranberry syrup to use in smoothies, desserts, what have you! And I'm still working through the vinaigrette...thinking of putting it on roasted veggies...why buy a bottle of stuff when you can make it??

Bon appetit!

Jes

Mushroom Spread

Coming in close on this one; it's less than 2 hours until tomorrow!

Spent the day getting my back tires changed. Someone rear-ended my car the week before the wedding (yeah, it sucked.) and got a new bumper out of it, but it messed up my alignment apparently. So much so that the inside edge of my back tires were scraping on something and wearing down past the wires. I had one tire that was kind of low last week one morning when it was really cold. It's the same tire I had a nail in last January, so I thought it was the same deal. Then, when I left work yesterday evening to drive home, the same tire started going flat really fast. I tried airing it up but ended up having to drive back to work on like 5psi!

Luckily, one of the cool ladies was still at work and had her husband come out to put my donut on so I could drive home. When he took the tire off, we could see how worn down it was. There is no way I would have noticed that. Long story short, I got a day off from work because it wasn't completed until like mid-afternoon, and now my car drives much better. Ugh.

Anyway, I made some acorn squash bread for tomorrow and also some Mushroom Spread that I've been making since like 2005. It is adapted from a recipe in some Little Big Vegetarian Book that I got back in Manhattan (KS) when we used to live there and I was doing the vegetarian thing, again.

It's basically cooked mushrooms with seasoning and cream cheese. I veganized it and used Toffuti Better Than Cream Cheese. After you food process it (along with some garlic, perfect excuse to use more roasted garlic!), you put it into a serving dish and refrigerate. Yum!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving...even though death will probably be presented to you on a platter...shudder...

Jes

'Za, I Love It!

The Hubs and I love the 'Za (Pizza...we love to shorten food names in this house). It's one meal that we sort of collectively make--me being vegan, The Hubs still eating meat occasionally. We do eat some of the same food, but this is so much fun--it's like making a personal pan pizza à la childhood!

He has his half (whoa, say that 3 times fast!), and I have mine. I want to say it's the same thing as with money in a marriage ("what's hers is hers, and what's his is hers"), but it's NOT so much in this case...

Here's the result:

Notice the huge No Man's Land in between!

My side: Mozz. and Cheddar Daiya, organic mushrooms, and black olive slices atop homemade 'za sauce.

His side: Morningstar Farm Crumbles with cow's milk mozz.

Winner: Mine, clearly :)

This is how we compromise when it comes to the 'Za, because that's what marriage is all about and why we've been together for so dang long. Wonder what we're going to do when we have kids...?

Jes

'Shroom Toast and Muffins

I truly hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I know I sure did but wish it wasn't ending so soon. I feel more and more that I am living for the weekends. Next weekend: Harry Potter 7-1!

In the meantime, I tried my first vegan muffins and didn't QUITE get the result I'd hoped for. I went with the Lemon Cranberry Muffins in Vegan YumYum, except that I bought fresh cranberries instead of dried (maybe that was the issue?). They didn't really rise out of the muffin cup, but still taste pretty great.

And then it was time to make dinner. The plan was for pizza, but quickly changed to sautéed mushrooms on toast with melted Daiya. Mmmmmm, tasty...

Close-up shot. YUM!

Bon nuit, mes amis.

Jes

Capellini with Garlic & Olive Oil, Yum!

That's right. Two posts in one day...still going strong, and there's sooooo much more to do!

Ok, so Sunday I was a bit on the "I don't want to cook very much" wagon (i.e. see my "Easy Peasy Chili" and Biscuits post...). For lunch that day, I made another REALLY easy recipe, also from Beverly Lynn Bennett's awesome cookbook, Vegan Bites, which is great when you are the only one in the house eating totally vegan.

Her recipe was for "Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil," but since I think Spag. takes too dang long to cook (and kids, I was FAMISHED.), I decided to use the box of capellini noodles hanging around my little pantry cabinet. Capellini are a version of angel hair pasta. The brand of capellini I buy is even thinner than the Barilla angel hair I used to get.

Yup, capellini = feeding Jes' face faster!

I cooked the capellini, and in another small pan I sautéed about 2 cloves of minced garlic in 1 TBSP olive oil (being careful not to burn it). I then added 3 sliced mushrooms to the oil, along with the recommended crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Dried oregano also found its merry way in, too, and was joined by freshly-squeezed lemon juice as the very last ingredient.

This was followed by draining the pasta, tossing it with the oil sauce, plating, and topping with a shake of nooch.

Holy smokes, folks! This was so easy and yummy. Probably not the best for my waist line, but what the hay...

I ate this at about 3:30ish, and it put me in a coma-nap until 6:00pm! What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Screw Ambien and over-the-counter sleep meds. You should try this recipe!!

Do you have a recipe that brings on a blissful nap after you eat?

Jes

"Loaded Bowl"--No, not that bowl...sheesh.

I promise some wonderful foods for tomorrow's post. Today is an interesting recipe from Clean Eating from like either Sept or Oct. They call it the "Loaded Bowl;" I call it DELICIOUS.

It's so easy! Cook quinoa per usual. While this is cooking, toss sliced mushrooms, black beans, and halved cherry tomatoes intp a large bowl. Once the quinoa is cooked and slightly cooled, mix it with the veggies in the bowl.

Then comes the dressing...

I think it's like 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts olive oil with salt, pepper, and I think I added minced garlic. This can either be food processed/blended to it turns out "creamy" or you can whisk it in a small bowl. If you choose to whisk, make sure your garlic is minced and not diced. Unless you like bites of bitter, strong garlic, just sayin'...

Plate the quinoa/veg mixture and drizzle a little vinaigrette over the top. Layer on some diced avocado (my favorite part!!!!!).

Yum, bloody yum.

Enjoy your Sunday, MoFo'ers. Tomorrow dawns a new week of stomach growl-inducing recipes!

Jes

Green Soup, Part Deux

Soup is sooooooo yummy!!! (especially in our new stock pot from my wonderful aunt and uncle)

True to my word, I made my Green Soup, but this time with mushrooms and mushroom stock. And yes, that's a lemon slice. It added a wonderful flavor, and I added another to my bowl.

I hope you are all feeling well. I'm getting to be a bit under the weather today, and Philip is ill again. Hopefully the warmth of this soup makes me right as rain.

Jes