Vegan Recipe: Vegan Black Bean Pie

Moving over another recipe from Rooted Vegan. I did not realize how many I have over there!


1 package of Follow Your Heart Fiesta Shreds
3 Large tortillas
1 can black beans, drained
1 T olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
1/3 c roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tomato, chopped
1 c lettuce chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350F. On a lightly oiled pizza plate lay out one tortilla and spread 1/2 of the beans on top. Cover with a layer of Follow Your Heart Fiesta Shreds.
2. Meanwhile: In a medium skillet heat olive oil. Add the onion and cook until transluscent. Add the squash and red pepper. Cook until the squash is soft. Add cumin and garlic powder. Stir until evenly coated.
2. Back to the pizza pan. Lay a second tortilla on top of the bean and Fiesta Shreds. Evenly spread the squash mixture on top of second tortilla. Cover with more Fiesta Shreds.
4. For the final layer add the third tortilla, 1/2 can of black beans and the rest of your Fiesta Shreds.
5. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with tomato and lettuce. I also added a dollop of my favorite vegan sour cream.
 

Enjoy! 

Vegan Recipe: Butternut Squash Coconut Soup

Here is another recipe that I am moving over from Rooted Vegan.

2 T olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 quart vegetable broth
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 apples, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp curry powder

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat add the olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic until just beginning to become translucent.
2. Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, carrots and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add the apples, coconut milk, salt and pepper, curry powder. Stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes
3. Using a food processor, immersion blender, regular blender blend until smooth and creamy. Serve hot with some crusty bread and a salad!
Enjoy!
~Maria Rose

Best Ever Vegan Balsamic Vinaigrette

I have another rooted vegan recipe transfer for you today! I hope you enjoy this go to recipe. 

 

I love a big salad for lunch. A big salad with a simple dressing is the best ever. Go easy on any dressing and this is pretty much a stuff your face healthy meal. I know it seems easier to just buy store bought dressings, you know bend over, toss dressing into shopping cart. This is easier because you probably already have everything at home and all you need is maybe 2 minutes to prepare; this is as simple as it comes and you know each ingredient involved in the creation process. If you don't have time for this, then I can't help you---probably nobody can help you besides a time management expert.  Since you don't have time to find and hire a time management expert just make this dressing. Healthy and delicious.

2 T agave

1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp frreshly ground black pepper

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

3/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 T vegan mayo

a dash of garlic powder 

1. Combine all ingredients in a jar.

2. Shake the dickens out of the jar.

3. Serve over a salad. Keeps in the fridge for a week or two.

Enjoy!

Vegan Basil Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

My tomato plants have been bursting! I have cherry tomatoes coming at me from all directions! I love them in salads. The girls eat them raw, but sometimes I like to actually do something with them. Coincidentally my basil is also getting out of hand.



The result is a simple and satisfying side.  

If you follow me on rooted-vegan.blogspot.com you will see this recipe there tomorrow, but click over for a different recipe today!



You will need

About 24 cherry or grape tomatoes
Olive oil
4 basil leaves
1 T balsamic vineagrette
pinch o salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Toss all ingredients together,omitting the basil.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or so, until the skin begins to burst.
4. Add the basil,let cool for a few minutes before serving, those bad boys hold their heat!

So...What are You Gonna Do With that Tofu? Plus Recipe

I don't know if it is because I live in Wyoming, a decidedly non-vegan state, or because I just have a certain look about me, but it seems I am asked about tofu a lot. When I go through the checkout line at the grocery store the checkout lady will often wonder, "So....what are you going to do with that tofu?" People in line behind will lean in to hear me discuss this alien substance. Possibly they are just looking at me like I am some kind of circus performer who eats strange things, this is Wyoming after all.



I know I have discussed tofu a few different time on this blog, but I thought I would occasionally (when I feel like it) share some of the ways that I use tofu. So, for those of you who are new to tofu let's start at the terrifying beginning shall we?

What is tofu? 
Well, the answer may make your pulse race in terror---it is bean curd made from fermenting soy milk. You sold yet? Let me reassure you a bit. Tofu is high in complete protein and iron it is often high in calcium as well, but low in calories and fat.

What kind of tofu should I buy?
So, perhaps you made the decision to buy some tofu and you found yourself in the store looking at all the variety, overwhelmed. Tofu comes in silken, firm and extra firm varieties and you can even find pre-flavored and marinated tofu in some stores. Silken tofu is very soft and slimey. Usually people use silken tofu in smoothies and other recipes where it can blend down into nothingness. Firm and Extra Firm tofu are a bit more sturdy and will hold their shape better. I generally recommend that people start with extra firm tofu for cooking and to try silken tofu in a smoothie.

What does tofu taste like?
I tend to say that tofu tastes like nothing. I suppose it has a mild and identifiable soy taste. Usually people tell me their horror story of how they bought tofu, brought it home, open the water filled package and tried a bite....ummmm why? Cordelia is the only person I have ever known who enjoys just eating tofu as is. The great thing about tofu is that is absorbs the flavors around it, so you can make it taste however you like.

So, what do I do with tofu?
Well, usually I start people in at the shallow end. I teach them how to prepare cubed tofu which can be used in a variety of non-threatening ways. Here, why don't I just show you how I do it....

First you will want to remove the tofu from the package and drain away the water. Some people are really serious about pressing out the water, but I am pretty lazy. If I have a finicky looking recipe I might press and drain the tofu (gets all extra water out for maximum flavor absorption) but for today just drain off any water that it was packed in.



So, then you will have a block of tofu looking up at you expectantly. Cordelia kept asking me if she could lick it, the girl is weird about plain tofu.



Put it on your cutting board and slice it (see the photo above) into approximately 1/2 inch slices, then cube it.



Next you will want to grab a large non-stick skillet and add the tofu, a splash of olive oil (like 1-2 tsp.) and a dash of garlic powder (1/4 tsp.). You can add salt or pepper if you like, but I generally keep it simple as this tofu can go in several different recipes.



Turn the heat on medium high and let those cubes cook for about 15 minutes, move them around a bit from time to time, but don't hover and poke. Once the tofu is nicely golden it is done.

Now...what to do with this. Here are a few ways to use cubed tofu.

• Toss it on a salad like croutons. I keep a container of it in my fridge and toss it into salads over the course of several days
• Coat with sweet and sour sauce and serve with rice and steamed veggie
• Toss it into a curry
• Put it into a salad wrap

We had it in a simple salad wrap (tortillas, organic mixed greens, ripe avocado, olives, tomato, tofu, vegan dressing of choice) last night, it is one of our summer favorites.

Vegan Recipe: Spinach Enchiladas

What, two recipes in two days...how did this happen?

Have you heard the term "to veganize"? The idea is to take a non-vegan recipe and mess around with it until you have created a vegan version. For my wedding I received an amazing gift of family recipes and I have worked to veganize them all over the years. I think many vegans start this process in an attempt to create a vegan version of a memorable comfort food from their non-vegan past.

Most vegans who cook learn this skill early on. The whole process has become much easier with the popularity of vegan items that are really high quality (ex. vegan cheese that melts, sour cream, cream cheese, etc.). I love to cook so I often tear out recipes from magazines or check out non-vegan cookbooks for ideas and inspiration. Today I am veganizing a recipe from the January issue of Real Simple magazine. When I made this Eric came to me after dinner as I was washing up and said, "Thank you for making such good food." That's good enough for me! I hope you like it too.



Ingredients

• 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 3/4 c. vegan sour cream (divided into 1/4 and 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 c. vegan cream cheese
• 2- 4 oz. cans of chopped green chiles
• 1 c. shredded vegan cheese, divided in half (I use Daiya)
• 10 6- in. corn tortillas, warmed

For the slaw

• 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. pepitas
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• juice of fresh lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. In a medium bowl combine the spinach, corn, 1/4 c. vegan sour cream, 1/2 c. of the vegan shredded cheese. In a separate bowl combine the green chiles, 1/2 c. vegan sour cream and 1/4 c. cream cheese, mix well.

Take the warmed tortillas and spoon the spinach and corn mixture (divided evenly between the 10 tortillas), roll and leave seam side down in a baking dish. Once all of the tortillas are rolled spoon the green chile mixture over the top, smothering the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining vegan cheese over the top (you could add more if you're in the mood).

Sprinkling the vegan cheese is a great job for busy toddler hands.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile to make the accompanying slaw toss the cabbage and scallions with the oil and juice of one lime. Add the pepitas and salt and pepper to taste (not much). Serve with the enchiladas. I also enjoyed a side of re-fried beans, added a good balance.

Dinner is served!

From My Vegan Kitchen and Recipe

I used to be one of those people who stopped by the grocery store every single day, choosing what I wanted to eat based upon my mood, taste and the time I had available to cook. Now, things are different. I have a toddler who has quite suddenly returned to good eating habits and she is eating a lot. Additionally I just don't have the time or energy to devote to daily shopping. I also don't live half a block from Whole Foods anymore; I think their nearest location would be a four hour drive.



So I have adapted the practice of writing up a weekly meal plan. I even made printable meal plan and grocery list sheets for myself. I really patted myself on the back the day that I made the printables. Anyway, I now try to keep it all organized and plan out meals for the entire week and do one shopping excursion. Of course I inevitably have to make a follow up when we run out of something or other, but my daily trips to the grocery store are a thing of the past.

With all of the time saved you'd think I was rarely in the kitchen (ha ha), but our family spends a lot of time in the kitchen area, talking, working, preparing food and of course eating. Much like most families the kitchen is truly the center of our home. Here is a look into our kitchen...


Blueberry cake, recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking


Eating cake


Cabbage Rolls


Someone is always rolling around the floor in the kitchen, more often than not it is this girl.


Snack of orange slices


Swiss Chard, for dinner tonight


Penne with Roasted Red Peppers and Almonds, dinner last night

Recipe for Penne with Roasted Red peppers and Almonds
Ingredients

• 12 oz. penne, cooked and drained
  
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. chopped almonds
• 2 tsp. dried thyme (you could absolutely use fresh thyme, but the stuff at the store was looking gross so I opted for dried)
• 2 large orange bell peppers (I suppose you could use red as well)
• 3/4 c. pitted kalamata olives
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

While the penne is cooking pull out a cookie sheet and turn your oven on to broil. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds, place skin side up under the broiler and cook until they turn black approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool enough that you can handle them.

Meanwhile warm up a skillet, add the oil and the almonds. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes or so, just toasting the almonds.

While the almonds are toasting use a knife to remove the blackened skin from the roasted peppers. Chop the pepper into bite sized pieces and add to the skillet. Toss in the olives and thyme as well, warm for a moment. Add the penne and toss to coat, if it is dry just add a smidge more oil. Finish off with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Recipe: Easy Vegan Curry Potaotes

More often than not my recipes spring from desperation and limited ingredients in my cupboard. This is one such recipe and it is super simple which works well for a busy lady like me. I tend to serve these with sloppy lentils (a vegan sloppy joe). A specialty ketchup or even a curried vegan mayo would be great for dipping.



Ingredients

• 4-6 large potatoes scrubbed and chopped into chunks that are no more than 1/2 inch in thickness.
• Olive oil
• 1/2-3/4 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• * optional 1/4 tsp chili flakes add a little kick

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Put the chopped potatoes into a large bowl. Lightly toss with olive oil. Add everything else, mixing gently to coat all potatoes. Lay out on a cookie sheet (if you went really easy on the olive oil you may want to add a little oil to the cookie sheet to keep the potatoes from sticking. Place in the oven for about 35 minutes, or until golden---flipping them once.

Vegan Soy Pigs in a Blanket

Cordelia loves veggie dogs. Each and every day she asks if we can have veggie dogs or pink cupcakes for dinner. Occasionally I oblige. Have you ever tried making vegan pigs in a blanket? They are easy and a fun fort night food (in case you need an excuse to have a fort night).

You will need:

• Soy veggie dogs (so easy to find. I can even find them at every grocery store in small town WY)
  
• your favorite vegan pizza dough
• chopped onion
• chopped dill pickle or relish
• sauerkraut
  
• mustard
• Ketchup

First you will need to make your dough. When that is ready pre-heat your oven to 400F.


Cut your veggie dogs in half. You will end up with 16 halves.


Separate your dough into 16 approximately even sized balls of dough. Sometimes I just grab as I go, but if you want uniformity pull your dough in half, then take each half and separate again (you will have four blobs of dough), and separate each blob in half again (you will have eight blobs-o-dough), finally separate in half one last time (you will have 16 blobs-o-dough).

Use your hand to press down each individual blob into a flattened disc. This is not an exact science, you can be pretty sloppy about it. You can go one at a time or do it all at once if you have the space.


Take a bit of onion, sauerkraut and pickle---place it down the center of your flattened disc of dough. Add a thin line of mustard (you can also add ketchup, but I usually just dip the whole thing in ketchup as I eat it). Top with the veggie dog. Roll it up, pressing the seam lightly.


Arrange on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.



You could mix it up and make a vegan chili and use Daiya shredded cheese to make these vegan chili dogs in a blanket. Get creative!

Enjoy!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I recently had someone tell me that vegan calories didn't count....hmmmm.....I am not really sure about that, but I suppose that you can feel a little bit better about vegan chocolate chip cookies than the alternative.

I posted the recipe a while back, but I have been messing with it some more. Here is the chocolate chip cookie recipe I have been fiddling with for ages:
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. EnerG Egg Replacer +4 Tbs. warm water (whisk together separately and then add). A box of this stuff lasts a long time and it works in place of eggs. Best stuff I know of...no they didn't pay me for that.
1 c. vegan margarine (easy to find, my favorite is Earth Balance)
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 c. vegan chocolate chips (you could also mix in oatmeal, pecans, raisins, or whatever sounds good to you just no more than two cups of chips and other stuff total).

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cream the sugars and the vegan margarine. Add the vanilla and egg replacer to the sugar mixture, mix it all together. Combine the wet and dry and mix thoroughly. I like to use a hand mixer. Once all combined add the chocolate chips and anything else you want.

Drop by rounded spoonful on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes (or just keep peeking until the cookies are golden, that is how I roll).


Eat with a glass of soymilk, or if you aren't hardcore enough for soy milk I recommend vanilla almond milk.

Yummy Dinner and Veganist Giveaway

Last night we were running errands after Eric got off from work and as a result we got home a bit later than expected. I had planned a dinner that would take at least an hour to make, but we were all hungry so I ran out to the garden and grabbed a few odds and ends.



I had a small zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano from the garden. Everything else I happened to have on hand.

• 1 box of whole grain rotini pasta, cooked and drained
• 1/2 onion
• 1-2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. chopped basil and oregano (just a mix, I went a bit heavier on the basil)
• 1-2 cloves garlic (more to taste) minced
• 1 jar of oil packed sun dried tomatoes chopped, most of the oil drained
• 1 crown broccoli divided into bite sized florets
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 1 small jar of marinated artichokes chopped, drained
• 1 can white beans, drained

Cook the rotini and set aside in colander. Meanwhile in a big pot heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and cook until it becomes slightly translucent. Add the basil and oregano. Mix. Add the broccoli and eggplant. Cook, stirring occasionally. Add more olive oil if things start to dry out.Once the broccoli is bright green and tender and the eggplant is soft add the rotini, artichoke hearts, and white beans. Mix and serve hot.
*I would have liked to add some crushed red pepper, but I have a husband who hates spice.
*Also, pine nuts would be good.

I served mine with a simple salad of heirloom tomatoes, slivered almonds, mixed baby greens and a simple vinaigrette.

Now, don't forget to check out the post from yesterday. There is still time to enter the awesome giveaway.

Vegan Spanish Seitan and Rice and Bonus Vegan Vocabulary Lesson

People regularly ask me what we vegan folks eat. I think most people presume that we eat freaky stuff with weird names. Names like seitan*** (see below for a vegan pronunciation key). Have you ever tried seitan?

For those of you who are not in the loop seitan (also known as wheat meat) is a vegan "meat" made from wheat. Now before you start imagining crazy bespectacled vegan scientists electrocuting wheat and adding strange chemicals on stormy nights I should tell you that seitan is actually an ancient food. The Chinese first developed it in ancient times (I don't have an exact date I am not a food historian folks) and it was a delicacy reserved for the royals. So, if you want to feel like an ancient Chinese empress or maybe you just want something new to eat I highly recommend seitan.

If you are wondering about the taste it is a bit like chicken in texture and it picks up the flavors of whatever you are cooking. I really do love this vegan alternative to meat, also great for people who have soy allergies.

So, without further ado I give you a recipe that puts seitan to use.

Spanish Seitan and Rice

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 package of seitan, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 c. white cooking wine
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (liquid and all)
• 1 c. white rice (cook according to instructions)
  
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1/4 c. fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/4 c. pimento stuffed Spanish olives

Heat the oil in a LARGE pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the seitan and bell pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the wine, tomatoes (with liquid), rice and season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil (add a bit of water if the liquid cooks off too fast), reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 2-5 more minutes. Spoon onto individual plates and garnish with parsley and olives.

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Vegan Vocab. (Just a few words that people often ask about)

***Eating vegan is one thing, pronouncing it is another thing altogether. Here are a few words that many have difficulty pronouncing (so you won't be scared to ask for it at the store). Not necessarily related to the recipe above.

seitan-(pronounced say-tan)vegan meat alternative, often used in place of chicken. Protein rich
vegan- (pronounced vee-gun) one who eats/wears/uses only products that are free of animal products and testing
tempeh- (pronounced temp-ay) an Indonesian soy based meat analogue. Has a somewhat nutty flavor, used in everything from stirfry to sandwiches. High in complete protein.
quinoa-(pronounced keen-wah) a grain like crop that is known for it's edible seeds. Often used in dishes that call for a grain or a grain accompaniment. High in protein.

Any vegan vocab questions? I'd be happy to answer them

Dinner: Something From Nothing

Dinner was hanging over my head for most of the day. I had nothing planned. I didn't even have bread for sandwiches and by the time I thought to make bread it was already late in the day. Our fridge and cupboards were mostly empty and I was WAY to lazy to bother going to the store. So around 5pm I walked into the kitchen on a mission. I had to create something remotely nourishing for dinner. I eyed the 3/4 empty bag of chips and realized that it would in no way feed the three of us. Onto the cupboards and freezer. I began to gather potential ingredients:

• 1/3 of a bag of mixed frozen veggies for a stir fry
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 3/4 package extra firm tofu
• 1 can coconut milk
  
• 1 onion
• 4 baby carrots
• 1 c. rice
• turmeric, garlic powder, curry powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, cinnamon

I can work with this I thought. So I cubed the tofu and cooked it in a skillet with a smidge of oil until the tofu was golden. Next I chopped and cooked the onion in the skillet until transluscent. I added the coconut milk and about 1/4-1/2 tsp. of all of the spices (not scientific)and about 2 tsp. of curry powder and a tiny pinch of the crushed red pepper (I am the only spicy heat lover here). I tossed in the bag-o-veggies and sliced the carrots and last I added the garbanzo beans. I simmered over medium-low heat until the flavors had blended and the carrot was cooked through.
Meanwhile I cooked the rice, adding a pinch of turmeric to flavor and color the rice.

When I was done I was pretty pleased with myself so I decided to put the rice into a rounded bowl to create a cool mould and then I arrange the curry around it. Ta da something from nothing!

While I was on a roll I decided that I could probably come up with something for dessert. So, I made some vegan snicker-doodle cookies. I have been trying to find a type of cookie that Eric will love. Believe it or not the man doesn't like chocolate...so when the chocolate chips all disappear in 3 days I really can't blame any of it on him. So now I can say, "Man the cookies are all gone Eric must have had too many."

Vegan snicker-doodle cookies with soy milk

Are you a master of pulling together a meal from nothing?

Dining Outdoors

Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping (even the one that Eric calls the Nelson bird-sounds like this), there was a slight breeze. Nature was practically asking us on a dinner date. So we set up in the back yard.

The dining table

I made super simple vegan quesadillas (vegan cream cheese and Daiya in a folded tortilla and grilled until golden) and topped with chopped fresh tomatoes and lettuce---completed with a dallop of vegan sour cream. We also enjoyed some yellow rice with black beans and pickled red onion (recipe derived from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, but only loosely followed because that's how I roll). We've been using a bunch of the vegan cheeses and stuff as our small town just got a real health food store, wooo! We are indulging a bit in the "fakes."

When was the last time you dined outside?