Thursday, April 22, 2010

Seitan and Broccolini with Clementine Teriyaki

Serves Two

8 Ounces Sliced Seitan - I use West Soy brand
1 Cup Sushi Rice
6-8 Stalks of Broccolini - broccoli works too
2 Clementines - oranges work
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil - Olive oil works
Japanese Seven Spice, optional - Did not use

Clementine Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 Cup Low Sodium Tamari
1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Fresh Clementine Juice
1/4 Cup + 1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
Zest from 1 Clementine

Rinse your sushi rice in cool water and drain. Cook in your rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions, but 1 cup of sushi rice is usually cooked in 1 1/4 cups of water. Allow to cook completely and steam for 5-10 minutes off the heat while you are preparing the rest of the meal. Total cooking time for the rice will be around 20 minutes.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small pan let it go at a lively simmer for 20 minutes, until reduced and slightly thick. The sauce will NOT be super thick when it is hot. It will very slightly cover the back of a spoon and look syrupy, but it’s not going to be thick until it cools, so don’t worry if it seems runny. At the end of the cooking you should see large, excited bubbles (this is the sugar caramelizing), so if you don’t see those, keep cooking. Once the sauce is done, it’ll taste good but pretty strong. Set aside.

While the sauce and the rice are cooking, prepare your seitan and broccolini. Slice the seitan into 1/8″ thick medallions, or something similar. I usually don’t prep broccolini any more than rinsing it and chopping off the ends, but if the stalks are particularly thick, you may wish to half them lengthwise. This shouldn’t be the case with most bunches you find in the store, however.

Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the seitan and let brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl, turn up the heat to high, and add broccolini in one layer. Once you get color on one side, flip, reduce heat to low, and cover the pan to finish the cooking, another 2-3 minutes. The broccolini should be bright green and cooked to a tender-crisp.

Once you are ready to serve, add the seitan to the pan with the broccolini. Drizzle enough teriyaki sauce in to coat everything. Beware, if the pan is too hot you risk burning your sauce, so take good care here. Once everything is heated and covered in a nice glaze, serve immediately with the sushi rice. Top with seven spice if you like a little heat.

This sauce is strong so you just need enough to coat — save any extra for a future meal.

CREDIT GOES TO: http://veganyumyum.com/2010/01/seitan-and-broccolini-with-clementine-teriyaki/

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Blackberry Crisp

Filling:
4 cups blackberries

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (not a whole food - but sometimes its nice to splurge!)
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
4 T olive oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Allspice

Preheat oven to 350°. Turn blackberries into a greased 8x8-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Mix together all of the topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over blackberries. Bake for 30 minutes or until blackberry filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

CREDIT GOES TO: http://www.seattlevegan.com/Blackberry-Crisp

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Autumn Millet Bake

The real trick to this recipe is getting the millet to cook all the way though, so don't over toast it, and keep adding liquids if you need to.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus oil for the dish (I did not use this much oil!)
3/4 cup millet
1 med. butternut or winter squash or small pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup fresh cranberries (craisins work here)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 cup vegetable stock or water, warmed (I use low sodium vegetable bullion)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 2-quart casserole, a large gratin dish, or a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.

Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the millet and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes don't overdo it). Spread in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Scatter the squash or pumpkin cubes and the cranberries on top of the millet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the sage and drizzle with syrup. Carefully pour the warmed stock/veg. bullion over all. Cover tightly with foil and bake without disturbing, for 45 minutes.

Carefully uncover and turn the oven to 400F. As discreetly as possible, sneak a taste and adjust the seasoning. If it looks too dry, add a spoonful or two of water or stock. (This is key! The millet should be close to being cooked through at this point, if not you need to add liquid and keep it moist and cooking - I used another 1/4 cup+ of veg. bullion here). Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top, and return the dish to the oven. Bake until the mixture bubbles and the top is browned, and the millet is cooked through - another 10 minutes or so. Serve piping hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6.
This would fit well with Thanksgiving Dinner.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Cashew Pimento "Cheese" Sauce

– good for a potato bar

Put in a blender and process until smooth:
1 cup raw (unsalted) cashews
1 4 ounce jar pimentos
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Add the following:
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup water

Can use as a dip, sauce or in a cheese soup.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Celebration Pot Pie with Pumpkin Biscuit Crust

We ate this for dinner - and loved it! I halved the recipe and still had oodles left over. Enjoy!!! It is much easier to make than it looks...

Use any combination of baking dishes--several smaller or two larger--but be sure they're deep enough to hold about 1 1/2-inches worth of stew plus another inch for the topping. You can easily turn this into a shepherd's pie by substituting mashed potatoes for the biscuit topping.

2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 large carrots, diced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper -- or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon mellow white miso
6 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water

Seitan
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup Imagine No-Chicken Broth, cold (or other veg. broth)
1 tablespoon tahini or other nut butter

Biscuit Topping
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin (canned or cooked and water pressed out)
1 cup unsweetened soymilk --mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
additional soymilk or water as needed

Put 12 cups of water on to boil in a large (at least 6-quart) soup pot. Add each vegetable (potatoes, onion, celery, mushrooms, carrots) to the pot as you chop it. Add the bay leaves, thyme, sage, garlic, poultry seasoning, onion powder, celery salt, soy sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the seitan: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the broth and nut butter. Stir the broth mixture into the dry ingredients until well blended. Knead gently 10 times. Turn out onto a cutting board and press it as flat as possible. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then using a sharp knife, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the seitan cubes to the simmering vegetables, taking care to separate them before they go into the pot. Stir well and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 45 minutes, remove the bay leaves and add the peas. Mix the miso in a small bowl with a little of the hot broth, and then add it to the stew, along with the nutritional yeast. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring often. When mixture thickens, reduce heat and allow to simmer while you make the biscuits. (If stew does not seem thick enough, add a little more cornstarch/water.)

(You can make the recipe up until this point the day before serving and refrigerate the filling. When ready to assemble, reheat the stew as you make the biscuit topping. Stew should be hot when the biscuits are placed on top.)

Preheat oven to 400 and oil two or more deep casserole dishes (any combination of casserole dishes or pie pans to hold about 6 liters). Mix the dry ingredients for the biscuits in a medium bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and the soymilk/lemon juice. Add additional soymilk or water a teaspoon at a time as you stir until all flour is moistened and dough forms a ball. Turn out onto floured board and knead two or three times. Roll out to 1/2- inch thick, and cut into circles using a 1 1/2-inch wide floured glass or biscuit cutter. Gather remaining dough and use it to cut additional biscuits. You should have between 24 and 30. (Alternately, cut the biscuit dough to fit the pans, leaving about an inch all around to allow for dough to expand.)

Pour the stew into the prepared pans, making sure there is at least 1/2-inch free at the top. Place the biscuits on top, spacing them evenly. Bake until biscuits are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

Servings: 12

CREDIT GOES TO:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/11/celebration-pot-pie-with-pumpkin.html

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Light Golden Pancakes

¼ cup Earth Balance (healthy butter, I buy at whole foods, good earth or sunflower market)

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tablespoons succanat

1 cup rice or soy milk

1/3 cup applesauce

1 Tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon vanilla

Dash salt



Mix well. Fry in griddle.



CREDIT GOES TO TANDI

Friday, April 2, 2010

Pumpkin Pancakes

Light fluffy and delicious pancakes for a cold fall morning.

INGREDIENTS:
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. soymilk/rice-milk
1/2 c. apple juice
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 Tb. coconut oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat a skillet on the stove to medium-high heat. Mix until the batter is thick and creamy with no lumps. Pour about 1/3 c. at a time on a non-stick skillet and cook until lightly brown, about 1-2 minutes, flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until golden brown.

CREDIT GOES TO TANDI

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Burnt Almond Fudge Ice Cream

This is THE best ice cream you will ever taste!



INGREDIENTS:

3 c. soymilk (Silk brand is best)

2 1/2 c. cashews

2 Tb. coconut oil

3/4 c. cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. maple syrup

1/2 c. turbinado sugar

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 Tb. non-dairy choc. chips (optional)

2 c. of the roasted almonds chopped



Blend all ingredients except for the chopped almonds. Stir in chopped almonds. Freeze according to your ice cream makers manufacturer directions. Enjoy!



CREDIT GOES TO TANDI