Falafel

I haven't made falafel in AGES!

 

 

Whaaat?  That shouldn't be legal...

 

But, I shall avoid those darn falafel police! ;)

Yummmmmy baked, herbed falafel... you know, I actually was going to throw some parsley in these,but totally forgot...

Adapted from Cookie and Kate

Blend:
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup cilantro
1 sauteed shallot
1 sauteed clove garlic
a bit of cumin
a bit of cinnamon
a few tbsp water

shape into patties, bake at 375 for 25 minutes, and serve over lettuce, with grapes, and dressing...

Dressing (adapted from Healthy Vegan Recipes), blend:
2 peaches/nectarines (no need to peel, just pit them... I actually had some that got a little bad spot on them, and I froze them to use in situations like this!)
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh basil
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Rice 'n Bean Burgers

What's that?  You're tired of seeing burgers, you say?

Meh. 

My burgers, though, are like snowflakes...

Each one is different! ;)

Adapted from HHL

Mash up 1 1/2 cups red kidney beans until only a few remain whole.  Mix with 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice, a generous 1 cup mashed sweet potato, ~1/4 cup nooch, ~3 tbsp chili powder, liquid smoke, paprika, a few tbsp bbq sauce, a splash of cider vinegar, and sauteed garlic and shallot.  The mixture should be fairly sticky - if not, throw in some sugar free maple syrup (or just add some anyway...).  Now, drop the burgers (like drop cookies, only bigger!) onto a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or so.  They should be nice and crunchy!  Serve on buns, with pickles, avocado, and tofu mayo.

What's Up Wednesday #6

Interesting article about agave - Why I Never Use Agave Nectar.  I never knew this stuff!

I tossed leftover veggies/setian on a bbq sauce - slathered bun, and called that dinner.  (Ok, so I had my usual soup and salad too...)

Friday was a MASSIVE cooking session for me! 
First up, I made Colby Cheese from Ordinary Vegetarian.  This was my first time trying agar... THAT STUFF IS SO WEIRD.  No kiddin'... I omitted the lemon juice (all my lemons went into making lemonade!), used 2 roasted bell peppers, cashews, and straight up sesame seeds instead of tahini.  It smelled fabulous...
Secondly was a strawberry bbq sauce, which also smelled really good.  I slathered it on tofu slabs, and stuck that on a sandwich.  Uh, YUM!  (Adapted from Vegan Yack Attack) Changed to the sauce: half recipe, 3/4 cup strawberries, add a bit of water, and ~1/4 cup sugar free blueberry jelly... I ran out of strawberries...

Lastly was this super-awesome-amazing salad dressing from Fat Free Vegan.  I followed it pretty closely, just doubled it, used a shallot in place of onions, and used sesame seeds in place of tahini.  Oh, gosh, this is the BEST dressing I have made in ages.. Susan is such a dressing genius.

And on Tuesday, I made a little army of vegan sausages!  OK, guys, repeat after me: I will read the instructions in the recipe and not blindly assume that all water goes directly in the dish.
I totally added the two cups of water to the gluten... and you can imagine how watery THAT turned out... -_-  Oh, well.  I ended up omitting the apple part of the sausages, using 1/2 cup oat flour in place of oats, 1 1/4 cup gluten, and 1/4 cup brown rice flour in place of rice.  They actually turned out realllllly good, though.  Although they did need about 45 minutes of baking time, not 30.  But, still, I think the flavour can best be discribed as 'calming', if that makes any sense at all...

One last thing... this morning I made Coffee Gingerbread Oatmeal... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Good stuff.  I made bottomless oats, and then added the banana and spices from this recipe (and stevia), using instant coffee powder in place of brewed coffee.

Oh, sorry, I lied.  HERE's the last thing... I made a coffee flavour of my b-fast tofu dip, which went very well with pizzerts.  Just blend silken tofu, almond milk, instant coffee grounds, and stevia.

Tofu + Green Bean Stir Fry

Just another quickie stir fry.  It was really good, 'cause we haven't had stir fry in a while.  And I FINALLY used up the tofu in the freezer.  Yes, this has a lot of garlic.

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

Sauce: corn starch, soy sauce, mirin, agave, chili paste
Veggies etc.: green beans, bell pepper, fried tofu, shallots, 3-4 cloves garlic per serving (!), grated ginger
Served over brown rice with chopsticks, no duh!

Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, Tofu, Wine Sauce

So, M asked me what we're having for dinner.  I said "this fancy thing" and she was like "What's that supposed to mean?"  Well, here's this fancy thing...

Adapted from WTHDAVEA

Roast fingerling potatoes, green beans, and garlic.  Cut a slit in a large fried tofu cube and stuff a clove or two of roasted garlic in there, and then pop the tofu in the oven to heat it.
Saute 2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms, and set aside.  In a saucepan, saute 2 chopped shallots until brown, then add 1 tbsp flour.  Stir in 2 cups white wine, slowly, until all the wine is added.  Add veggie bouillon, pepper, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, a bit of butter extract, and Italian seasoning.  Simmer until slightly thickened, and add the mushrooms to the sauce.
Serve the roasted thingies, and ladel the sauce over all.

Asparagus, Tofu, Pasta Casserole

Quick post tonight - lots of homework to do (physics... precal... you name it!)  Adatped from WTHDAVEA

Cook ww penne pasta.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, plop in 19 silken tofu, and remove from heat.  Drain after 2 minutes, blend tofu with jucie from 2 lemons.  Reserve 1 cup of tofu for another use.  Mix the remaining tofu with a smidgen each of maple syrup, soy sauce, nutmeg, nooch, shredded FYH mozzarella cheese, and apple cider vinegar.  Chop some fresh oregano and parsley, and mix this in as well.
Saute a shallot, carrots, garlic, and chopped asparagus.
Mix all of this in a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes at 375.

Irish Casserole

Yeah, ok, so maybe I'm not ready for summer yet... it's getting warm, but not too much for this casserole!  This is epic comfort food... adapted from Vegan Dad.

Small dice 2 yukon potatoes, and boil them until tender.  Heat a kettle, and saute 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots, 4 slices shallots, and 4 large cloves chopped garlic.  Add in 1 cup beer and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Lightly boil for 10 minutes or so, until the liquid is mostly reduced.  Stir together 1 tbsp flour and 1/3 cup nondairy milk, and add to the veggies.  Add in cooked potatoes, 2 cup cooked chickpeas, 1 tbsp ground sage, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tbsp ground fennel, and a few shakes of liquid smoke.  Mix everything well, then remove from heat and add 1/4 cup chopped parsley.  Pour into a casserole dish.  Thinly slice 1 yukon gold (as thin as possible, a mandoline would be useful), and spread the slices over the casserole like a lid.  Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Cheesy Potato Onion Bake and Spicy Roasted Veggie Chili

I was just in the kitchen making Vegan Dad's Kaiser Rolls, so I've got flour all over my hands.  Ahh... I love making bread.  I will be posting the recipe fairly soon, but for now I will be talking about these two.  I just want to say that, yes, I know it's a hundred degrees outside and the middle of a hot, steamy, summer.  So what?  I melt... and then I have good food.  It's all good.  But, even though both of these dishes are not really summer dishes, they are totally worth the trouble any time of the year.

About the potato thing- it's really good.  Um, yeah.  I liked the cheese a lot- this time, I used almond cheese, which didn't melt as well as normal cheese.  But I'm really trying to move towards a more vegan diet, so I figured, since it wasn't too expensive, I would give it a shot.  And the combination of roasted potatoes and onions/shallots was quite amazing.  I loved the sauce that went with it, too.

This chili- oh my GOSH it was so GOOD I thought I had DIED and gone to HEAVEN when I first tasted it.  Seriously.  It's that good- it'll have you crying it's so spicy, but it's all worth it.  I love the rich flavour of the roasted veggies, and the large amount of beans really makes this such a filling dish.  Great for hot or cold days... a must try.  Healthy Happy Life is such a brilliant blog...

Cheesy Potato Onion/Shallot Bake

Adapted from A Dash of Flavour

Serves 8

2 lbs russet potatoes cut into ¼ inch thick slices

Several shallots and/or a small onion, thinly sliced

1 cup cheese

1 cup Silk

1 tbsp vegetarian chicken bouillon

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350, and spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Put down a layer of potatoes, and then a layer of onion/shallot. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat until all the potatoes are gone, ending with a layer of cheese. Mix together the Silk, bullion, and seasoning and pour over the potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Serve.

Spicy Roasted Veggie Chili

Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Serves 10

A)

1 large carrots, coined
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Drizzle of honey

B)

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp nutmeg

2-3 tbsp molasses
3 cloves garlic, chopped
½ red onion, diced
½ bunch spinach, destemmed and torn
1 1/2 cups carrots, coined
3/4 cups diced red bell pepper
3 dried chilies, soaked in water for several hours and finely chopped
C)
6 cups canned fire-roasted tomatoes

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp honey
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 bay leaf
1 lbs red kidney beans, soaked overnight
1/2 lb pinto beans soaked overnight

Cheese and sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400. Put the veggies from A on a baking sheet, and mix together remaining A ingredients. Pour them over the veggies, and bake the veggies for 15 minutes, until caramelized. Set aside.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and add the B section to the pot. Add a bit of water (I used what the peppers were soaking in), and cover. Allow to simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from pot and put the B mixture on a baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes, until caramelized.
Finally, add all the ingredients to the Dutch oven except cheese and sour cream. Add enough water to your liking, and bring to a light simmer. Cover and simmer for 4 hours, or until you just can’t wait anymore. Serve with cheese and sour cream.

One Good Orange Recipe... and One Not So Good

It's most certainly season for most of the orange foods out there.  This post I will focus on two of the veggies- sweet potatoes, and pumkins.  Although, I do have to say, oranges are beginning to tastes really good, too!  Currently I really can't be pressed to think of any other orange foods, but whatever.  Carrots!  There, thought of one. 

Life is getting really hectic.  I nearly broke my record of not having opened a soup can for over a year now because we have been running so utterly dry on leftovers.  Which is quite a pitty, and I have no clue whawt I will be doing in this next week as far as food goes.  It's a darn hard life!  Why can't I just skip english or something and go home and cook instead?  Much better use of time than reading AE Poe.  Seriously.  I really, really hate Poe right now.  It's Halloween time, so I think my English teacher is trying to get us into the mood for that.  Which is great and all, but not when I just want to go to sleep, and I am left wading through lakes of words that I can't understand half of.

Anyway, now that I am done ranting, on to those lovely sweet potatoes. Oh, just by the way, sweet potatoes have more fiber that white.  I thought that was rather interesting.  The potatoes are really easy to make, and require minimal hands-on time.  And they are rather good too- a nice thing to whip up, and a reaccuring theme in my lunches this week.  Make sure to use fresh sage, because that makes all the difference in the dish.

And the pumpkin salad was rather interesting, to say the least.  If you like pumpkin, than I think this is an excellent dish that would catch your heart instantly.  If not, like I found out was true for me, then I will keep experimenting with different veggies.  It's a really great base, I just didn't like the pumpkin.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad Recipe

Adapted from 101 Vegetarian Cookbooks
Makes 6-8 servings

2 pie pumpkins

fine grain sea salt

15 shallots, peeled

1 ½ cups wild rice

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup mirin

2 tbsp miso paste

2 tbsp rice vinegar

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 cm lengths

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the pumpkins into quarters-ish and put them on a baking sheet. On another baking sheet put the shallots and carrots. Roast both for about 45 minutes, until tender.

For the rice, boil 1 ½ cups water. Add the rice, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until all the water is gone.

For the dressing, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
When the veggies are done roasting, allow pumpkin to cool, cut off the peel, chop, and add to dressing with the shallots, carrots, and rice. Mix well.

Ricotta Cheese Sweet Potatoes
Serves 6

Adapted from All Recipes

3 medium sweet potatoes
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Wash the potatoes, poke holes in them, and microwave until tender. Allow to cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, sauté the shallots until tender, about 5 minutes. Combine with remaining ingredients. When the potatoes are cool, cut open and remove pulp, taking care not to break the skins. Mash the pulp with the ricotta mixture, and refill the potatoes. Heat through either in the oven or microwave.