Crusty Corn Bean Pie and Noochy Cheeze from "The Farm"

I decided to veganize the Crusty Corn Bean Pie recipe from Diet for a Small Planet, and top it with the cheese sauce recipe from The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook.  I guess I'm just an old hippie at heart.(I remember the hippies, but was a little younger than most of them)

Anyhow, Amy says the cheez sauce smells like cheese, so that should work.   This is the first time I've made the sauce, and it is my first recipe out of the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook.  Incidentally, this cookbook is pretty much vegan, and was one of the first vegan cookbooks to reach a wider audience.  There are recipes to make tofu, soy milk, tempeh... it's pretty amazing.  I would have to quit work and go live on a commune to be able to do all that, but I can at least try some of the recipes.  There is a minnestrone soup recipe I really want to try.

Easy Vegan Lunches

I found a really cool product in the Nature's Marketplace section of Wegman's: Dr. Mcdougall's soups and stews.  They are all marked vegan, and are quite delicious.  So far this week I've had the White Bean Soup and the Tortilla Soup.  You can find them on the web HERE.  You can also order them in bulk from Amazon.  Delicious, and convenient.  We have a hot water spigot on our coffee maker here, so I just use that instead of the microwave (I used the microwave yesterday and it was a bit messy)  It's good that these products are available, since I can't always bring dinner's leftovers. Sometimes there ARE NO LEFTOVERS!!  Imagine that!

Lentil Chili

Lentil Chili recipes is on pg. 6 of this pdf ,  This recipe is also in the Forks Over Knives Cookbook on page 128.

There's something inherently satisfying about chopping up lots of vegetables and putting them all in a pot and having Brian come in the kitchen and say, "That smells good!"  I have to sit down to do all my chopping, but still, it's chopping up fresh veggies, instead of using something out of a box.  And there's no oil in this recipe; you don't sauté the vegetables in oil, but in vegetable stock.  All of us could use cutting down on fat in this household (looks like I won't be making vegan brownies again anytime soon!  And no vegan ice cream for a while!) but I especially need to cook with whole foods and cut out fat and sugar.  Even as a vegan, I tend to eat a lot of junk.  I just hope this chili tastes as good as it smells.  And it smells delicious.  I'm slow cooking it on top of the stove.

Homemade vegan lasagne!

Brian decided last night that he wanted lasagne!  SO... he sautéed a bag of stir-fry veggies, and added pasta sauce to them.  I came home and made tofu ricotta (so easy, just took a fork and stirred up the tofu with basil, oregano, salt and pepper).  Brian layered the tofu ricotta and the sauce with the noodles and topped with Mozzarella and Cheddar Daiya.  We baked it for about a half hour or a little more.  It was delicious!  Nice job, Brian!  We will definitely have this again!

This is the Almost All American Seitan Pot Pie from Veganomicon.  If it tastes as good as it looks, then I will have been successful!  Amy rolled out and patted in the crusts so I had a lot of help.  It's pretty work intensive, but it was a work of love!  Time to eat!

Teens cooking vegan

My son Brian and daughter Amy made a delicious shepherd's pie last night.  A nice touch was the topping of Daiya, which was Brian's idea.  Mmmm.  I would like more of it tonight, but I doubt we have time.  I could eat shepherd's pie just about every night of the week if I had to.  It is so easy to make, I only had to give them minimal instructions (I was ill last night when I arrived home, and still had to take my other teen, Chris, to the pharmacy to pick up some meds).  We have grown used to cooking vegan - to tell you the truth, they don't like overdoing the meat these days, though Brian & Amy still eat it.  Chris has been vegetarian now for, oh, I believe 7 or 8 years.  He still hasn't taken the vegan plunge.  He's very resistant to that.  Oh well, give him time.  I know it took a lot of years for me to take the plunge.

I can't believe I forgot...

...to mention that I also made, over the weekend, a shepherd's pie.   Pretty simple.  Vegan mashed potatoes - mmm, yummy.  I like them better than the old dairy-laden ones - topping innards consisting of bagged frozen veggies thawed & sautéed with tempeh to make a satisfying filling.  My mom LOVED them.  I am definitely making this and using tempeh again.

Sweet three-bean vegan chili

Ingredients:

@ 1 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, diced
1-4 oz can mild chilis
1-15 oz can black beans
1-15 oz can kidney beans
1-15 oz can canneloni beans
1-15 oz can sweet corn
1-15 oz can diced tomatoes
1½ tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon

In a large stew pot, sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper until the onion is translucent.  Add the chilis, all the beans, and the corn, and stir. (Do NOT drain the beans or corn)  Add the tomatoes, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and add chili powder and cinnamon.  Simmer for at least 35 minutes, or until it tastes done.

I had some of this last night, served with tortilla chips crushed on top.  YUM!

This can also be made by cooking dried beans in the crock pot, then adding all ingredients except tomatoes.  Tomatoes should only be added to the crockpot during the last hour of cooking, after the beans are tender.

Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  The spread wasn't as big as I originally planned.  I made gluten-free pumpkin bread, which was very crumbly.  We also had gado-gado, rice noodles, Brussels sprouts (the only thing that didn't turn out all that well; they needed to be roasted a bit longer and at a higher temperature), broccoli, a shepherd's pie, and Alison brought a ham roast for the omnivores (truthfully, it did NOT look tempting; she didn't like it very much).   

Learning point for gluten-free cooking:  When baking using gluten-free flour, you need more moisture in the mixture.  Now one suggestion is upping the oil, but that is way too much fat.  As it is, the recipe for the pumpkin bread called for an entire CUP of vegetable oil.  Perhaps sub applesauce or something like that?


Later in the day, Alison's Aunt Susan Spillane came to visit; I had not seen her in a number of years, and it was wonderful to catch up and take some pictures with the family.  My kids are growing up.

Attitude of Gratitude

After my rather apocalyptic dream last night, I'm glad to awaken to life the way it is.  I dreamed we were attacked, and that there was impending death and destruction.  I'm truly grateful that this was only a dream.  Despite the fact that we will do a fair share of cooking tonight and tomorrow, it is still good to sit down at table and give thanks for all we have. I guess I'm just a bit nervous about my first vegan Thanksgiving.  We're having a brunch in the middle of the day, rather than an extensive evening meal, since my daughter and her husband are committed to going to his aunt's house for dinner. 

Now, the menu:  First of all, gado-gado.  Amy insisted upon this.  It's virtually her favorite thing we make at home.  So that means LOTS of roasted vegetables of all kinds.  And pasta.  Maybe even some rice, but I doubt it.  AND pumpkin muffins.  AND pumpkin bread.  I might make some spaghetti for peanuts as well, since now I know I can veganize it.  And since one of our family members has celiac disease, everything will ALSO be gluten free.  Yes, and a vegan shepherd's pie.  AND herb biscuits (using the recipe in Vegan Brunch) with Navy Bean Gravy (I believe that is in Vegan Brunch also).  We also found a recipe for Southwestern Corn Pudding in VB, so I will try that.  We've made pretty much everything before, except for the last three items, so it is just a matter of doing all the work.  We will be busy.

UPDATE:  I am also hoping to make the cinnamon rolls from VB, but I don't know if I will have the time.  I will have to make them at home, so if I DO make them, I will have to wake up REALLY early in the AM.

Seitan - my first try

Seitan with Satan - Heavy Metal Vegan Cooking In the video, they use the seitan recipe from Veganomicon. I went back a little and used the one from Vegan With A Vengeance. The only difference I noted was that the recipe in VWAV has tomato paste and lemon zest in it. I didn't have a lemon, so I put a couple of squirts of lemon juice in the recipe instead. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. It is simmering for an hour. Then it has to cool for an hour. Smells pretty good.

Did I mention nutritional yeast smells pretty good?

UPDATE: I think I need to follow the recipe a bit more carefully. AND I think I want to use water to make it rather than vegetable broth. Gonna try the recipe in Veganomicon next time.

Spaghetti For Peanuts - VEGANIZED!

I did it!  And it worked!  I took Diet For A Small Planet's Spaghetti For Peanuts and made it vegan.  It worked beautifully and tasted pretty good.

You can find the original recipe on page 254 of the 20th anniversary edition.  For copyright reasons, I don't want to reproduce my veganized version here.  My substitutions were as follows:  for the margarine I used Earth Balance (note to self: use a different kind of EB.  The whipped stuff was kind of greasy); for the low-fat milk I used soy milk (2 cups; worked beautifully and the sauce wasn't quite so heavy); and for the cheese, Daiya.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but when I have cooked with Daiya before, it didn't melt all that good.  I decided to up the temperature of the oven from 350ºF to 360ºF.  And instead of baking for 25 minutes, I baked the dish for 40 minutes.  This seemed to do the trick; the Daiya Cheddar Style melted pretty good.  However, you want to eat this before it gets cold enough for the Daiya to get gooey, because when it cools off, it gets a rubbery consistency.  Hopefully the food chemists out there will eventually make a vegan cheese that is a lot more like real cheese.

Results:  Well, it tasted good.  The peanuts were a bit old; I will use fresh roasted ones next time.  Something else I need to do is process the peanuts longer so they are more of a mealy consistency.  I don't like them to be peanut halves.  And I won't use quite so many of them.  (FYI, I did not stick with the proportions in the printed recipe; I added a lot more of everything because we were hungry.)  Another thing I'd like to try is cashew cheese instead of the Daiya.  Or maybe Follow Your Heart vegan cheese.

In a nutshell:  I'll do this again.

Some favorite vegan/vegetarian linkshttp://www.plantbased.org/html/b12.html

http://www.plantbased.org/html/b12.html
http://www.easyveganmeals.com/pumpkin-seed-crusted-lentil-patties
http://forum.theppk.com/

Monday night's dinner

Black Beans and potatoes

We don't have any tortillas, so we're doing without those.  However,  that will simply cut down on the starch in this recipe, which is pretty starchy without them.  Also, I don't like green bell peppers, so ixnay on those, as well.  Hmmm... should be interesting what we end up with.  How much would a person alter a recipe before it's no longer THAT recipe?  Seems like I do this an awful lot.

While I'm at it

I'll add my favorite vegan pot pie recipe.  Make sure you use vegan pie crust.  I usually make my own with oil.  But that is another post.

The kids eat this up, and it definitely fits the bill for comfort food.

Delicious Vegetable Pot Pie

1 cup diced potatoes

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup chopped carrots

1/3 cup melted margarine or vegan spread

½ cup all purpose flour

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup soy or almond milk

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

3-4 cups chopped cooked seitan if desired

2 pie crusts (either store bought or your own recipe)

• Potluck Savory Pies
• Casseroles Savory Pies
• United States Savory Pies
• Chicken Savory Pies

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Sauté onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in margarine for 10 minutes.
3. Add flour to sautéed mixture, stirring well.  Cook one minute stirring constantly.
4. Combine broth and soy milk
5. Gradually stir into vegetable mixture
6. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly
7. Stir in salt and pepper; add seitan, if desired, and stir well
8. Put one pie crust on the bottom of a cast iron skillet. 
9. Pour mixture on top of bottom pie crust (Hint: baking the lower crust by itself for about 15 minutes before adding the veggie mixture will make it a bit more crispy if you like a crispier pie crust)
10. Top with second pie crust.  Seal edges to keep the filling from bubbling out.
11. Cut slits to allow steam to escape.
12. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly and cooked through.

Good news and tonight's dinner

Two things:

First, I have lost two more pounds.  Considering the fact that I do my worst eating in the summer, that is not too awfully bad.  But I can do better.  MORE FRUIT PLEASE.

Secondly:  We're having the following for dinner tonight.  It is another of my favorite recipes.  It is a veganized version of a recipe for Sage Squash and Pasta I found on the Better Homes and Gardens site.

Butternut Squash and Pasta With Sage

From Better Homes and Gardens: 

Browned butter and sage help to flavor this simple pasta dish. This is a delicious way to enjoy butternut squash, or use another winter squash or pumpkin in this dish. I love it just the way it is, but feel free to add some cooked white beans or baby lima beans for extra protein. Use rombi pasta, farfalle, or a similar flat or ruffled pasta.

 To veganize this recipe, I have replaced the butter with Earth Balance, and Parmesan cheese with vegan Parmesan flavor topping.  You could also top with nutritional yeast if you like.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium butternut squash, about 2 pounds
• 1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 scant teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces rombi, farfalle, or similar flat or ruffled pasta
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance or other vegan spread or margarine
• 2 dozen sage leaves
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan flavor topping

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375°.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the squash. Scoop out seeds and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch cubes. Combine squash, chopped onion, and 1 scant teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to coat and spread out in a large jelly roll pan or roasting pan.
Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned, turning about halfway through the roasting time.
Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on the package; drain and rinse with hot water. Set aside.
In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat, cook Earth Balance and sage leaves until the butter begins to brown. When the sediment turns medium brown, add the garlic and continue cooking for about 1 minute. Do not let the solution burn. Remove from heat and remove the sage with a slotted spoon; use a spoon to crumble. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the mixture, along with the crumbled sage and roasted butternut squash and onions. Put back on the heat and continue cooking stirring, until pasta and squash are hot. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed. Toss with the 1/2 cup of  vegan Parmesan type topping just before serving.  Serves 4-6


Now, some things I'm doing differently tonight:  I'm sautéing the onions with the Earth Balance instead of roasting them, because I forgot to chop up an onion when I was peeling and cutting up the squash.  Secondly, I am not using fresh sage leaves.  Instead, I'm adding about 1½ teaspoons of dried sage when I add the pasta.  I think that is all the changes.  I'll post again if I make any others.

Eating vegan - a new beginning

I'm too late for the Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MoFo), but I can add a few things here and there, and chronicle my journey into the heart of veganness.

I've been vegan since March of this year (2011 just to be sure). I remember the last time I ate meat. I've had some slip-ups into stuff that had egg or cheese ingredients, but those can be counted on less than one hand. Fortunately, most people are really supportive, and tell me right off if something has animal ingredients in it. Though I started out doing this for health reasons, I realize now, I'm staying for the animals. If I don't eat cats, dogs or rabbits, why should I eat chickens, pigs or cows? They too have a face.

Anyway...

Vegan Gado-Gado

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil


• 2 cloves garlic—finely chopped or pressed


• 1 medium onion, minced


• 1 cup coconut milk or other skim milk or soy milk


• 1 cup water


• 6 tablespoons natural peanut butter


• 4 tablespoons soy sauce


• 4 teaspoons brown sugar


• ½ teaspoon sambal oelek (Indonesian chili sauce) (substitute hot sauce if you do not have the sambal oelek)


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Steamed veggies such as chopped cabbage, broccoli, cooked cubed potatoes, boiled eggs, raw bean sprouts (carrots are not very authentic, but I like them anyway) Use what you have on hand. I've also tried it with rice, and with pasta.

Directions
HEAT the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the garlic for 1 minute, stirring constantly to brown. ADD the remaining ingredients, except the lemon juice, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring regularly until the sauce reaches a creamy consistency. ADD the lemon juice, and stir to combine.
Once ready, pour over vegetables, and ENJOY!

Our family has this about once a week, and my kids LOVE IT.