8 posts tagged “recipes”

It has been a long time since I've really cooked something interesting enough to post.  But here we go, something :)  I wanted a reason to use my new crockpot, so I made this in there, but it can just as easily be cooked on the stove top.  I made a few changes to the recipe I found online which I think is essential to the gumbo!  Namely, adding a roux.  I'll give instructions for it.  Really, it would have just been a veggie stew without it.  And for some reason my camera wouldn't take clear pictures....but whatever

Vegetable Gumbo
Adapted from IVU

Serving Size : 6

• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1/2 Green pepper, diced
• 2 Ribs Celery, diced
• 1 Garlic clove -- minced
• 1 lb Okra, sliced, fresh, frozen
• 1 lb Tomatoes, fresh, or canned
• 2 c Corn, fresh, frozen, canned  (1 can)
  
• 1 t Vegetable Bouillon granules
• 1/2 c White Grape Juice
• 1/2 c Water
• 1/4 ts Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 ts Paprika
• 2 tb Fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tb Basil or Rosemary, minced
• Vegan sausage, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 c All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 c Veg oil
  

In a large heavy stew pot, place bouillon and 1/2 C white grape juice, onion, green pepper, celery garlic, cook until tender, 5-7 minutes.

Add other ingredients, cook over low heat, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking to bottom.
Cover and simmer gently until corn and okra are done.
(or simmer in crockpot 6-7 hours)

For making the roux:  Combine equal parts flour and oil in a sauce pan.  Heat on a medium-high setting stirring constantly (P.S. don't let it splash on you PAINFUL) until it becomes the colour of chocolate.

If using the crockpot, I stirred in the roux about 3 hours before it was done.  Other recipes I found for stove top gumbo had the roux as the first step and adding everything else to the pot.  I have the suspicion that it can be done at any time.  The roux is what makes it gumbo, I wouldn't leave it out.

In any case, it was fantastic.  I never had much gumbo in New Orleans because I was never a fan of meat, but it tasted just like I remember.  And better because....well....no meat.

And, to go with it...

Cornbread

found on Vegweb

--->I halved the recipe and put it in muffin cups

    1 Cup Cornmeal
    1 Cup AP Flour
    1/2 to 3/4 Cup Sugar (I like mine really sweet so I use 3/4 Cup)
    1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
    1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
    1/2 Teaspoon Salt
    1 Tablespoon EnerG Egg Replacer Powder (DO NOT PREMIX WITH WATER)
    1 1/2 Cups "Buttermilk" (Add one tablespoon of vinegar to a measuring cup and fill the rest of the way with soymilk)
    1/3 Cup Oil
    1/4 Cup Very Warm Water

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place skillet into the oven to heat up.

2) Sift together all dry ingredients.

3) Pour the oil, 1 cup of the "buttermilk", and the water into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. The batter should be somewhat thin and puffy (i.e. the leavening agents should really be working), if not add the other 1/2 cup of "buttermilk". To be honest I always need all 1 1/2 cups.

4) Carefully remove skillet form the oven and spray, spray, spray that sucker because what stinks worse than going to all this trouble to only have it stick...  Okay now you are ready to pour the batter into the skillet.

5) Lightly sprinkle sugar on top and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes clean.

6) Let cool for a few minutes and then carefully flip the cornbread onto a plate.

7) Eat and Enjoy!!!

Serves: 8 Pieces

Preparation time: From start to finish about 45 minutes

I was in the mood for some moussaka and, more than that, it would use up the copious amounts of food still in my fridge from when my mom brought some up.  So, I decided to try this recipe, 1) for something new 2) my other moussaka recipe takes AGES to make 3) my other recipe also uses yogurt, which I didn't have.
So, I tried this one!
I changed it up a bit, adding some squash and chickpeas (I would HIGHLY recommend the chickpeas, it really makes it) and using egg substitute and soy milk.  I don't think my other recipe has potato in it either, but it is delicious in the dish!  I'll definitely put it in all of my Moussaka recipes.  I read that English put mashed potatoes as a topping on theirs (don't they always?  Sounds like shepherd's pie), might try that next time too.  It isn't as pretty as the book picture but it was still yummy.  I haven't made the other recipe in a long time, because it is so labour intensive, but this still tasted normal (I was leery about the topping, but it wasn't bad). 
I also made a dessert today.  It was a brownie/pumpkin pie from Vegan Cupcakes....it is....interesting.  Pumpkin and chocolate are something I think you have to get used to though, lol.  Oh well, I was craving something and I know no one else will want some.  But I am a pumpkin FIEND. 
Anyway.  Here is the recipe.  I highly recommend Moussaka in general.

 Vegetarian Moussaka

1 eggplant (8oz), cut into 1cm (1/2 in) slices

I large potato, cut into 1 cm slices

30g/1oz of butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

500 g (1lb) flat mushrooms, sliced

400g (13oz) can chopped tomatoes

½ tsp sugar

40 g (1 ¼ oz) butter, extra

1/3 c (40g, 1 ¼ oz) all purpose flour

2 c (500ml, 16 fl oz) milk

1 egg, beaten

40 g (1 ¼ oz) grated parmesan

Added:

1 can chickpeas

1 sliced yellow squash (because I needed to use it and didn’t have enough mushrooms)

 

I also used soy milk instead of milk and egg replacer instead of the egg and left out the sugar

 

1.       1.   Preheat the oven to hot 220C (425F).  Line a large baking tray with foil and brush with oil.  Put the eggplant and potato in a single layer on the tray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 min.

2.       2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, or until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Increase the heat to high, add the mushrooms (and chickpeas)and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes, or until soft.  Add the tomato, (and squash if you are adding it) reduce the heat and simmer rapidly for 8 minutes, or until reduced.  Stir in sugar (or not)

3.       3. Melt the extra butter in a large saucepan over low heat.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute or until pale and foaming.  Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the milk.  Return to heat and stir constantly until it boils and thickens.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and, when the bubbles subside, stir in the egg and Parmesan.

4.       4.  Reduce the over to moderate 180C (350F).  Grease a shallow 1.5 litre (48 fl oz) ovenproof dish.  Spoon one third of the mushroom mix into the dish.  Cover with potato and top with half the remaining mushrooms, then the eggplant.  Finish with the remaining mushrooms, pour on the sauce and smooth the top.  Bake for 30-35 min, or until the edges bubble.  Leave for 10 minutes before serving.

Mmm, delicious lunch!!
The stew recipe was originally with polenta, but I decided to to biscuits instead.  I'll include the regular recipe though, just cut out the part about polenta if you don't want it!

Spring Vegetable Stew with Soft Polenta
from Vegetarian Times
Serves 8
I halved the recipe - this is the full one.  I also left out all the salt in the recipe

1 large carrot, sliced into 1/4 inch matchsticks
1 large yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch matchsticks
1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch matchsticks
2 Tbs olive oil
10 oz sliced cremini mushrooms (I used portobello, because I had some)
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts sliced into thin rounds
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, chopped (I left these out, I don't like olives)
1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 14-oz cans white beans, rinsed and drained  (I used dried canellini, that I had soaked.  Should have soaked them a bit longer, whatever)
1 c Polenta

1.  Bring 8 cups salted water to a boil (Halved the recipe mostly because I don't own anything that can fit 8 c of water in it, still came out wit a TON) and fill a large bowl with 8 cups of ice water.  Add carrot to boiling water, and simmer 1 minute.  Add squash and zucchini, and cook 1 minute more.  Drain, and plunge in bowl of ice water to stop cooking.  Drain and set aside.
Side note: Now would be a good time to get the biscuits ready.  Put them in the oven right before you simmer the stew at the end of Step 2.
2  Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add mushrooms, and sprinkle with salt.  Saute 10 minutes, or until liquid is released and mushrooms begin to brown.  Add leeks and garlic, saute 1 minute more.  Stir in tomatoes and white beans.  Reduce heat to med-low, cover, simmer 10 to 15 minutes
3 Polenta: Whisk together polenta and 4 cups of salted water in 2-qt sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over med-high heat, whisking frequently.  Reduce heat to low and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until thick and porridge like, stirring often.  Season with salt and pepper
Stew Continued
Stir carrots, zucchini, and squash into stew; simmer 2-3 minutes or until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper (I used Marjoram, thyme, and some cajun salt-alternative)
Serve stew on top of polenta (or not)

Per serving: 280 Cal; 10g protein; 7.5g total fat (1.5 sat fat); 44 g carb; 0mg chol; 896 mg sodium; 9g fiber; 8g sugars
--Less sodium when you cut out the salt and used the chopped tomatoes 'with no salt added'

Mamaws Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
from Vegweb

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    2 cups self-rising flour
    1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
    1 cup soy milk
    1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
    2-3 tablespoon vegan margarine.

Directions:

First, combine the soymilk & vinegar and set aside. Next, in a small bowl throw in the flour and cut in the vegetable shortening with a fork. I like to use Crisco butter flavored shortening, which is vegan! Next, pour in the milk mixture and gently stir until the batter comes together.

The key to great biscuits is to not handle them too much. The more you stir them or knead them, the tougher they become. This rule follows for the next part as well.

On a clean surface, generously spread all -purpose flour to cover the surface you will be working on. Place the batter on the floured surface, and throw a little more flour on top. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough, but not too thin, because these biscuits don't rise a whole lot. Next, you can use an empty round can or glass to cut out the shape of the biscuit. I usually end up cutting out biscuits and re-kneading the leftovers a couple times to end up with about 6-8 biscuits.

Place the biscuits on a greased baking pan or iron skillet, put a small pad of butter on top of each one, and put them in the oven.

Bake these biscuits at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned on top.

Serves: 6-8

Preparation time: 15 mins

[EDIT]  Forgot to mention, I added some parmesan cheese and rosemary to the batter.  And then sprinkled some parmesan cheese onto the tops of the biscuits before I but them in the over.  I can't recommend this recipe enough, they are delicious!

 Enjoy!

Vegan and sugar free (used substitutes) mini apple "sour cream" coffee cakes.

I basically used the recipe from Vegweb with a few changes.  I halved the recipe and I made them in little muffin things.  Also, I did the layering, I put some of the dough down, sprinkled the 'topping' crumbs, and then I added some finely chopped dried apples, currants, and a few dried chopped dates, then layered more of the dough and more of the topping.
Also, I used the makeshift sour cream that I made for this recipe.
And, for some reason, I didn't take a clear picture.  Whatever.

This is my half eaten mini coffee cake.  You can see the layers :)

Ingredients :

    1/4 cup vegan buttery spread
    1/2 cup of sugar (I used some Splenda and Agave Nectar)
    1 egg substitutes (1/4 cup of soy yogurt or 1/4 cup of blended silken tofu works best
    for this) Nikki's Note : I just used Ener-G
    1/2 cup of "vegan sour cream" (store bought or home made)
    1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    1 cups all-purpose flour  (I did 3/4 flour 1/4 Pastry flour, don't think it made a difference)
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 
    TOPPING:
    flour
    Sugar (sub)
    little bit of brown sugar
    Cinnamon
    Butter
   
    EXTRA (Filling):
Finely chopped:
    Dried Apples (regular apples would have been better, made it more moist, but I didn't have any)
    Currants
    Dates
    Whatever you want to use

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream vegan buttery spread and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla; mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda; add to creamed mixture and beat until combined.

Pour half the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
Alternative: fill muffin cups half way

Combine topping ingredients (work the butter into the mix with your fingers to create a crumb look); sprinkle half of topping over batter. Put some of your 'Filling' on top.  Add remaining batter and topping. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until done.

They say it rises, but mine didn't.  Still yummy and not too dense.
I made 10 little muffins out of them and ate 2 of them before I even got around to taking a picture.  Top with a powder sugar/water glaze for a little extra sweetness.

Sorry for lack of exact measurements, I don't generally measure things when I make them up.

Using regular sugar wouldn't be a problem.  I'm seeing my mom tomorrow and was planning on giving her a few and she is diabetic.  So.  That is why I did it.  And I don't like to use too much sugar.  I also took the salt out of the recipe completely.

Back to studying for my crazy important test.....

~Nikki

Real creativity comes at the end of the grocery shopping cycle when you have run out of food.  Today, that happened to me.  I decided to throw the odds and ends into a dahl.  So, here is what I did...

1 c lentils (I used red)
3 c water
2 tsp minced garlic
2 green onions (I was out of regular ones.  I know they aren't remotely similar, but I'd rather use them than have to throw them out.
1/2 can tomatoes
1 broccoli stalk (into florets)
1 zucchini
handful of frozen/stir fry veggies
some frozen peas

Spices:
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
sprinkle of curry powder
sprinkle of red pepper
(Curry powder could probably substitute all of those if you only have that on hand)

Put the lentils and 1 green onion in a medium sauce pan with the water.  Bring to a boil then let simmer.  Cook until soft (10 minutes, 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a wok/pan.  Add the garlic, rest of the green onions, and the spices.  Heat until fragrant.  Add the broccoli, frozen stir-fry veggies, and tomatoes.
Heat veggies, don't overcook.  Pour lentil mixture into the wok with the veggies and mix together.  Cover and let simmer (at a low temperature so it doesn't burn to the bottom!) for at least 15-20 minutes (my cookbook said 45, seemed extreme).  Throw in the frozen peas and zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes or until all the veggies are done.  Stir occasionally throughout.
I also threw in a handful of spinach at the very end.

This can be done with anything.  I deviated from the recipe hard core.  The lentils were instead of yellow split peas, the broccoli and stir-fry mix was in place of eggplants, carrots, and cauliflower.  So, it is a stew, just throw anything in!

I paired this with some thinly sliced tofu that I coated in peanut sauce and had baking in my toaster-oven.

Yum yum.

Spring Break Dinner #1
It was delicious :)  I am always annoyed when you have to cook casseroles beforehand and then put them in the oven, I always want to just stick em in and go.  I halved the recipe, but I'll post the whole one here for you.  It wasn't too time consuming actually.  And mmm, I love me some sweet potatoes.
From The Complete Cookbook : Vegetarian : Tasty Recipes for Everyday.  I don't think they sell it anymore, but you could probably find it used.  They have tons of good looking recipes and LOTS of pictures.  Which is always a must for me.  Their pic was prettier than mine was, but I suspect photoshop.

I also threw on some extra biscuits I had, you can tell the difference in the pic :P

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total cooking time : 50 minutes

1 tbl Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, rushed
2 tsp sweet paprika (I used regular)
1 large potato, chopped
1 large carrot, slived
400g (13 oz) can of chopped tomatoes
1.5 c (375 ml / 12 fl oz) vegetable stock
400 g (13 ox) orange sweet potato, cubed (I just used half a potato in mine, but for a whole recipe, use a whole one)
150 g (5 oz) broccoli, cut into florets (I used one stalks worth)
1 c self-raising flour
20 g (I used 1.5 tbls) cold butter, cut into small cubes
2 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used dried)
1 tsp fresh thyme (dried)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (can you tell I don't have any fresh herbs on hand?   dried also)
1 1/3 milk (I used soy milk)
2 tbl ::Sour Cream ::

1.  Heat the oil in a large sauvepan and add the onion.  Cook over low hear, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft.  Add the garlic and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2.  Add the potato, carrot, tomato, and stock to the pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.  Add the sweet potato, broccoli and zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.  Preheat the over to moderately hot 200C (400F)
3.  To make the dumplings, sift the flour and pinch of salt (I left out the salt) into a bowl and add the butter.  Rub the better into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in the herbs and make a well in th centre.  Add the milk, and mix with a flat-bladed knife, using a cutting action, until the mixture comes together in beads.  Gather up the dough and lift onto a lightly floured surface, then divide into eight portions.  Shape each portion into a ball.
4.  Add the sour cream to the casserole (vegetables).  Pour into a 2 litre (64 fl oz) ovenproof dish and top with the dumplings.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.

...My dumplings came out very hard, but I think it was because of the soy milk.
Nutritional Info per serving
Protein  8g; Fat 10 g; Caro 27 g; Dietary Fibre  7.5 g; Cholesterol 16 mg; 230 calories

I also made a little sandwich for the side with a left over Vegan Bagel that I made this morning.  I used some spinach, vegan cheese, mayo & dijon mustard and skinny baked tofu (dipped in a mix of soy sauce, black bean sauce, cooking rice wine, and ginger spice).  Yummy meal.

So, I was running out of food and didn't want to go out food shopping until I could start my massive cook-a-thon over Spring Break.  So, I said....'what do I have in my fridge?'  Not much.  Odds and ends that I couldn't think of how to use them.  So, I stuck all my ingredients into google and found this!  Relatively easy.  First time I got to use the food processor my mom gave me, so I was excited.  It was like 'ZIP' done.  So much better than mashing tofu with a fork.

The recipe is here, I'm not sure if I've looked around that site before, so I'll go back when I have more time.  If you are anywhere besides America, go there.  If you are in America, here is the recipe converted from grams to what we generally have on our stupid measuring cups.   My comments are in the pretty blue.

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Serves 2 as a main meal, or 4 as a side. I had a quarter slice and I was plenty full!

INGREDIENTS:

5/8 c plain wholemeal flour
3.5 tbl plain white flour

     --->This adds up to 7/8 cup (200g), use whatever mix of the two flours you like
7tbsp vegan margarine [soft or firm]
4 tbsp water
100g firm tofu [well drained]
100g silken tofu

  -->I used half a block of regular firm tofu
6 tbsp soy milk
1 small red pepper [half]
1 medium onion
Handful of broccoli florets
Handful of steamed spinach
1 clove garlic
½ tsp  turmeric powder
½ tsp chili powder
Black pepper to taste
Handful of pine nuts

--->I had some Parmesan cheese in the fridge, first cheese I've bought in months, so I put some of that on top.

Rub pieces of the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add enough water to make a dough, knead well and roll on a floured surface to fit a flat tin or quiche dish. Grease the tin and bake the pastry blind at 220 degrees (425F) for 10 minutes.

Saute the onion, red pepper and brocolli. Blend the tofu, soy milk, turmeric, garlic, chili and pepper in a food processor or by hand. Add the vegetables, including the spinach, to the tofu mixture (I threw in some nutritional yeast, just because). Pour into the pastry crust and bake at 180 degrees (350F) for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on your oven. 10 minutes before it has finished cooking, sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and lightly brush with olive oil.

Serve warm, not hot.

The idea for this recipe came from the kitchen section on the Vegan Family House website, check it out!!

http://www.veganfamily.co.uk

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I have to say that I'm an idiot.  I didn't realise until posting this (my quiche is currently in the oven) that the 'degrees' were 'celsius'.  Hopefully it will be cooked....I thought that seemed low.  Good thing I had it up higher (yay intuition) anyway.

[EDIT]

Finished it.  It was delicious.  Full of flavour.  I was afraid that it would be spicy, with all the red pepper seasoning, but it wasn't.  Quite tasty :)  I would definitely make it again and definitely recommend it.  It tasted like a real quiche!  Without feeling gross after from the eggs.  Great recipe.  Yum Yum

I told a wanna-be-veg that I would post some recipes whenever I cook something.  None of them are original (most likely), but they are great.  I'll have to start taking pictures of them to make my posts more colourful.

This one is for VEGAN FRENCH TOAST
And while I know you aren't trying to turn vegan, you should definitely try these, they are 100x better than regular french toast!  Any type of bread can be used.  Stale is best :)  Old French bread is even better (I used the french bread that I made from scratch last week)!  It tasted great and the recipe is ripe for tweaking if you wanted to add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, or whatever.
Tahini is also used for making hummus (among a few other things), so if you want to buy some, it'll come in handy.  If not, someone in the comments said that they used creamy peanut butter (tahini is just sesame seed butter).  The taste would be different (stronger probably) but it sounds just as good!
I'm dying to make this for my dad, who is skeptical of my cooking veg stuff, but he is obsessed wit fancy french toast that he can get up in Massachusetts, so I would like to mess with this one a bit and see what he thinks.  You know what would be good in the 'batter'?  Alcohol.  Just sayin'
I haven't tried the other french toast recipes, but I'm pretty hooked on this one.  Also, someone mentioned making extras of these and freezing them--to be popped in the toaster later for a quick breakfast.  Which sounds like a wonderful idea if I could keep from eating them all the first time around.

Vegweb recipe

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    3 tablespoon tahini
    3/4 cup soy/rice milk
    1 tablespoon maple syrup
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla
    2-3 tablespoon flour
    cinnamon and nutmeg
    stale french bread or THICKLY CUT stale sandwich bread
    a little oil

Directions:

With a whisk or a fork mix the tahini (I use Joyva brand because it is very finely ground) and the soy milk until you have some smooth nutty milk.  If both are pretty cold from the fridge, this could take some time.  Listen to your favorite song.  It helps, I swear.

Add the maple syrup and vanilla.  Add the flour a tablespoon at a time.  You may not need all three, depending on how thick your tahini was.  The consistency you're looking for is almost like pancake batter--runny pancake batter.  Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (and you CAN taste it because unlike regular french toast, there are no raw eggs to make you gag!).  Use day-old vegan french bread sliced at least 1/2 thick.  The thicker the vegan bread, the longer you let it sit in the goo.  This is why stale vegan bread is good, you can soak the vegan bread without making it soggy.  I've tried it with thickly cut homemade wheat vegan bread, and it was good, but it was kind of limp in that sad, not-so-fresh, sort of way.

On medium heat in a good non-stick pan pour a nickle-sized drop of oil and coat the pan. I'm an olive oil freak, so that's what I use.  Put your vegan bread slices in and fry on both sides for 3-5 minutes.  If the heat is too high, the coating will burn and the inside will be wet, so adjust the heat as you go.  You may need to add a little extra oil now and then.

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes