VeganMoFo: Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs October 30, 2009

I had some extra Pepperidge Farm puff pastry in my fridge and decided that it was time to make something quick an easy with it.  I went to my sidekick, Vegan Brunch, and saw a tasty recipe for tempeh sausage pastry puffs and knew I had to try them.  Everything came together perfectly and I had a few of these for dinner the other night.  I loved the flavor of the tempeh sausage.  It was actually one of the best recipes for a quick sausage that I have ever tasted.  The flakiness of the puff pastry was the perfect bed for the sausage and it made them easy to just pick up and eat.  Finger food is my friend

Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs

Source: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

8 oz tempeh, crumbled

1 package puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand is vegan), thawed

For the marinade:

1 cup vegetable broth

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

For everything else:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp fennel seeds, chopped

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt, to taste

olive oil for brushing the pastry

Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.  And the tempeh and let marinate for an hour.

When the hour is almost up, preheat a large pan over medium heat.  Saute the red bell pepper and onion in the oil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent.  Add garlic and spices and sate another 3 minutes.  Frain the marinated tempeh and add it to the pan.  Turn the heat up to medium hight and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400°F and start preparing you puff pastries.  Pout a little olive oil into a cup and brush a large baking sheet with olive oil.  Cut each pastry sheet into nine squares and set them on the baking sheet at least an inch apart.  Brush the tops of the pastries with olive oil.  When the tempeh is ready, taste for salt and remove from heat.  Top each pastry right in the middle with a heaping tablespoon of tempeh.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the pastries are nice and puffed.  Serve ASAP.

VeganMoFo: Tofu Benny October 28, 2009

Ever since I got Isa’s Vegan Brunch, I have been itching to make the Tofu Benny.  Just looking at the picture in the book makes me hungry.  This was the recipe that I wanted to post for the first day of VeganMoFo III, but I couldn’t find Black salt (Kala Namak) for the life of me.  I finally caved in and ordered it on Amazon, and actually received it pretty quickly.

I guess you could say that I have procrastinated writing this entry because I actually made it a few weeks ago.  Bad Monkey, Bad!!!

This recipe was actually very easy to make.  You only have to follow two rules: remember to marinate your tofu, and timing of the 3 different parts of the recipe.  I decided to go with the Diner Home Fries instead of the English Muffins as my base for the Benny, and they were fantastic and came together pretty easy.  I decided not to boil the potatoes.  Instead I placed them in a microwave safe bowl, added a little olive oil to the potatoes, cover the bowl  in plastic wrap, and set the microwave for 5 minutes.  This actually makes cooking the potatoes A LOT quicker than boiling and reduces the dishes

I marinaded the tofu overnight, so that the flavors had more time to develop.  When I opened the marinated tofu in the morning, it completely smelled like eggs.  I would attribute this to the use of black salt because the sulfuric smell added that extra goodness to the tofu.  If you make the recipe you really need to use black salt to bring it all together.  I think the marinade for the tofu would work great with a tofu scramble so that you can get the same flavor profile as eggs.  When everything was ready, I plated it and then sat down for brunch.

HOLY CRAP!!!!

This was fantastic.  The tofu totally had a flavor reminiscent of eggs.  Everything worked perfectly together.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Pumpkin Biscuits…Vegan Style October 20, 2009

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Erin of Prudence Pennywise.  She chose Dorie’s Sweet Potato Biscuits which are located on page 26 in Baking: From My Home to Yours.  All last week, I kept thinking if making these pumpkin would be okay.  Then I strolled on over to the comments section and somebody asked the question I was thinking, and Laurie actually came back with what to do via Dorie.

Yeah, that sounded completely confusing

I ended up making these late last night.  Yay, for procrastination baking.

If you want to make the recipe pumpkin you have to add the following to the recipe: 2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, and 3/4 – 1 cup pumpkin puree.   I also decided to up the spices and I added a pinch of the following: ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.  The spices added a hint of that pumpkin spice flavor in the background.  Finally, to make these vegan I just substituted 6 tbsp of  Earth Balance Vegan  Buttery Sticks for the 6 tbsp of unsalted butter.

These turned out GREAT.  I heated a few up in the microwave :SHOCK: and added some spread to them this morning for breakfast.  I have to say that mine were not as flakey as others, but I would be to blame on that front.  I man handled the dough   But as biscuits go, I would more than likely make these again if I had some extra pumpkin on hand.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Vegan Apple Allspice Muffins October 13, 2009

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie is brought to you by Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table.  She chose Dorie’s Allspice Muffins which are located on pages 16-17 in Baking: From My Home to Yours.  I was really looking forward to making this recipe  and then I tasted a Vegan Apple Struesel Muffin at Ellwood’s Coffee, and it was fantastic.  I knew at that moment that I was going to try to recreate the muffin using Dorie’s recipe.  I also chose the vegan options because this month is Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo).

To make this recipe vegan I substituted canola oil for the butter in the batter, used Ener-G Egg Replacer for the eggs, and Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks for the crumb topping.  I also added one Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced to the batter.

I thought that these muffins would be a little bit better with some cinnamon added to the batter.  However, I decided not to add it to the batter since the title dictates that these be allspice muffins, so I refrained.  The final product was very moist and yummy.

VeganMoFo: Pumpkin Pancake with POM-Ginger Cranberry Sauce October 7, 2009

I didn’t think these bad boys were going to happen because I wasn’t sure if cranberries were in season in my area yet.  But lo and behold while wandering through the grocery store I spotted  the fresh berries.  At that moment, I knew that I would be eating these the next morning.

As I sit here writing this entry, I am actually eating these fantastic pumpkin pancakes with POM-Ginger Cranberry Sauce.  The sauce goes perfectly with the pancakes.  It is like a celebration of fall in my mouth.  Pumpkin, spices, tart cranberries, and a hint of sweetness.  Perfect   Both of these recipes are from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz; however, I did tweak the Cranberry Sauce a little.

Since I recently received a case of Pomegranate juice from POM Wonderful, I decided to incorporate the juice into the cranberry sauce for a little bit more tartness.  I substituted half of the juice for the water and it worked out perfectly.  Also, I discovered I was out of fresh ginger so I used 1/2 tsp of ground ginger.

I never thought I was a fan of Pomegranate juice but once I tasted it it reminded me of a mixture of cranberry juice because of the tartness and grape juice because of the sweetness.  I guess I am a convert now.  An extra added bonus is that it can help lower LDL  (bad cholesterol), which I am currently trying to do at age 27.  Damn genetics and its fury little hands.

Back to the yumminess at hand.  If you don’t own Vegan Brunch, you need to get it now.  Especially since that is the only way you are going to find out how these pumpkin pancakes taste.  To give you some incentive I will provide you with my tweaked up version of the cranberry sauce.  Happy Eating

POM-Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from Ginger Cranberry Sauce in Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

2 cups fresh cranberries

3/4 cup 100% Pomegranate juice

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Mix together cranberries, juice, water, sugar, and ground ginger in a sauce pan. Cover and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat a bit and let simmer for about 10 minutes.   Uncover and let simmer until mixture is reduced by about half, 10 minutes or so.  Remove from heat and let cool for at least half an hour and stir in maple syrup.  Serve warm.

VeganMoFo: Vegan Wraps at Ellwood’s Coffee October 1, 2009

VeganMoFo III is upon us.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then you need to get with the program.  Well, not really   VeganMoFo stands for Vegan Month of Food.  It is that one time of year that all vegans and omnis can get together on their blogs or where ever and post about vegan food, products, and pretty much anything you want to that is vegan.  It is a joyous month in my omni life where I experiment with vegan cooking and/or eating more often than I would the rest of the year.

I initially had this meal planned that I wanted to make, but I am currently missing one of the key ingredients and I am going to have to resort to buying it online.  So, instead, I have decided to finally post about the Vegan Wraps at Ellwood’s Coffee

Please excuse the poor quality photos.  I was taking them with my phone.

First up is the Green Pig.  It consists of spicy guacamole, tempeh bacon, organic tomatoes and organic sprouts wrapped up in a tomato tortilla with a side of fresh fruit.  When I ordered this I was asked if I wanted it warmed.  I asked the barista what he prefers and he said warm, and he was spot on.  The tempeh bacon tastes just like the one in Vegan with a Vengence, but sometimes the smokiness was a little too much.  The way I solved that was to flip the wrap over so that I tasted the guacamole first, because who doesn’t like GUAC!

The Green Pig

Next up, the Thai Tofu Wrap.  I totally burned myself eating the one.  A carrot shot out and got me in the hand.  This wrap I also had warmed and is filled with baked tofu with julienned vegetables and peanut sauce.  I actually really enjoyed this wrap also which is funny because I hate cooked carrots with a passion and it was perfect.

Thai Tofu Wrap

Last but certainly not least, the TON OF FUN.  I am completely one of those people that just ordered this because I loved the name.  The Ton of Fun consists of mixed green lettuce, hummus, cucumbers,  tomatoes, and sprouts wrapped up nicely in a tomato tortilla with a side of fresh fruit.  This was the first wrap that I ever had at Ellwood’s and it was yummy.

Ton Of Fun

Daring Cooks: Indian Dosas September 14, 2009

This months Daring Cooks Challenge is brought to you by Deby from The Healthy Vegan Kitchen.  She chose  Indian Dosas, the only rule we had to follow was to keep the recipe vegan (no animal products whatsoever).  If you read my blog you know that I dabble in vegan cooking and baking so this wasn’t too hard, and I actually had most of the ingredients on hand.

Or so I thought…..

I purchased all my ingredients last week and kept putting off making this because I kept getting home from work and being too tired.  Cut to Monday morning when I decided that I would make them for lunch for Mike and I.  I get all my ingredients out so that I can start chopping.  Then I realize that I don’t have any curry powder.  I swear I had some.  I guess I little gnome stole it.  Mike runs out and gets me some and then I start making the sauce and realize I am out of oregano.

WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!

There must be a family of gnomes running around my apartment stealing my spices and herbs.  Mike ends up getting that for me too, my savior

The recipe didn’t call for it but for the filling I sautéed the vegetables in 2 tbsp vegetable oil, and for the sauce I used 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to sauté the onion and garlic.  For the filling I ended up substituting one jalapeño for the hot banana peppers because I couldn’t find any.  Also, the filling ended up being a little THICK, so I added 1 cup of vegetable broth to thin in out a little.   I garnished the Indian Dosas with toasted coconut and slices of cucumber.

This were so tasty and I love them.  That actually reminded me of a bean burrito and the toasted sweetened coconut on top added a slight sweetness that was nice.  I really enjoyed making and eating these.  It actually didn’t take too long for the whole recipe to come together.  At most it took one hour from start to finish, chopping and everything.

I made these for lunch today, and I loved them.  I will post more about what I did to the recipe and my full opinion but for now the picture to prove I made them

Indian Dosas

Source: reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes From the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants by Ruth Tal and Jennifer Houston

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don’t be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.

Vegan Adventure #27: Banana Rabanada (Brazilian French Toast) July 22, 2009

This post has been postponed for long enough

When I found out that Isa was coming out with Vegan Brunch, I was VERY excited.  I couldn’t wait until it came in the mail, and when it finally did the first thing I made was the Banana Rabanada.  It was very simple to make and it tasted fantastic.  The only thing that I might add to the recipe is 2 tbsp of sugar to the batter or when you eat the French toast just dump maple syrup on top of it.  Either way, it just needed a little bit more sweetness to it.  Perhaps my bananas could have been a little bit more ripe

Also, when sprinkling cocoa powder and cinnamon on the French Toast be very careful to dust the toast and not dump it on one side like I did.  There is nothing like a strong blow on the toast to dislodge the excess cocoa powder and cinnamon, and in turn blow it all over the counter.

Banana Rabanada (Brazilian French Toast)

Source: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

2 very ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups almond milk (or your favorite nondairy milk)

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stale baguette, sliced diagonally in 1-inch pieces

Cooking Spray

Slice strawberries and bananas for garnish

Blend bananas, milk, cornstarch, and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Spread out baguette sliced in a single layer on a baking pan.  Pour banana mixture onto the bread and flip sliced to coat.  Let sit for 10 minutes, then flip over and let soak for 10 minutes more.

Preheat a large, nonstick skillet (cast iron preferred) over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray and cook about half of the soaked bread for 5 to 7 minutes on one side and about 3 minutes on the other.  When ready, the toast should be golden to medium brown and flecked with darker spots.  Keep warm on a plate covered with tinfoil while you cook the second batch.

If not serving immediately, cover the toast with tinfoil and place in a 200°F oven for up to an hour.

When ready to serve, mix together cocoa powder and cinnamon and use a small sifter to sprinkle generoudly over each serving.  Serve Rabanada with vegan butter and maple syrup, and topped with fresh fruit.

Vegan Muffins on 3 occasions and Vegan Adventure #28 July 21, 2009

Lately, I have taken to making a weekly trip to Ellwood’s Coffee.  Each time I go I always get an Americano and muffin.  If you have read my blog before you know that I like to experiment with Vegan cooking/baking even though I am not vegan.  I find it extremely fascinating.  Ellwood’s Coffee carries a line of Vegan baked goods that they make in the Ellwood Thompsons Bakery, which is across the street.  Ellwood’s Coffee also makes vegan paninis and wraps.  Currently, I have only tried their muffins, but I am going to slowly branch out and try some of their other Vegan options.

Vegan Adventure #26: Roasted Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empanadas June 24, 2009

I have been a huge slacker in the pasted few months.  I have made dishes, taken pictures, and then never posted about them.  So I am FINALLY get around to doing a few more posts so that I can catch up   Here is another chapter in my Vegan Adventure, Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empanadas.