Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

Maple-Pecan Shortbread April 30, 2010

Filed under: Desserts — epicureanvegan @ 3:08 pm
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I love thy neighbor… And I really love that we’re both foodies. I’ll bring over some vegan concoction (they’re so great to be my guinea pigs for some of my recipes) and she’ll return the dishes full of a different vegan concoction–even though she’s not a vegan!  How cool is that?! So this afternoon, she returned two dishes I had given her–minus the hummus I sent in them–and filled with other vegan goodness. These cookies are one of them. She said they were pretty easy to make–I obviously don’t have pictures of the process–just the end result, but I’ll assure you–they’re worth any time they may have taken.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup pecans

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 cup maple sugar crystals or unbleached cane sugar (or white sugar from sugar beets)

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/3 cup vegan margarine

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract

safflower oil, for oiling cookie sheets

DIRECTIONS:

In a blender or food processor, place the pecans, and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Transfer 1/3 cup of the chopped pecans to a small bowl and set aside. Add the oats to the remaining pecans in the blender and process for 30-60 seconds to finely grind them together. Add the flour, maple sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, pulse a few times to combine, and set aside. In a medium bowl, place the margarine, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract, and stir the mixture until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Add the reserved chopped pecans and fold gently to incorporate them. Cover the bowl of dough, place it in the refrigerator, and chill the dough for 30 minutes or more.

Using a little safflower oil, lightly oil (or mist with oil) two non-stick cookie sheets and set aside. Transfer the chilled dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch squares or diamonds or into desired shapes with small cookie cutters. Using a fork, gently poke the surface of each cut cookie a few times. Working in batches, carefully transfer the cut cookies to the prepared cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Allow the shortbread to cool on the cookie sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Repeat the baking procedure for the remaining cut cookies. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Yield: 4 Dozen

Recipe source: VeganChef

 

Creamy-Apple Horseradish Dip April 30, 2010

Filed under: Appetizers — epicureanvegan @ 3:08 pm
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This is the other great recipe from my fabulous neighbor, also from the VeganChef. The apples and horseradish make a great combination and you can add more horseradish if you want more of a kick. This is great on crackers and veggies. Thanks, neighbor!

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup walnuts
4 apples, peeled and cored
2 T. lemon juice
2/3 cup plain soy yogurt
2-3 T. prepared horseradish, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a non-stick skillet, place the walnuts, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, grate the apples into a bowl, drizzle them with the lemon juice, and toss well to prevent the apples from turning brown. When the walnuts are cool, place them in a blender or food processor, and finely grind them. Add the walnuts and remaining ingredients to the grated apple and stir well to combine. Taste, season with a little salt and pepper, and add more horseradish if desired. Transfer the dip to a glass bowl. Serve with crackers, chips, sliced bread, or an assortment of raw vegetables.

Yield: 2 Cups

 

Feast On This! April 29, 2010

Filed under: Feast On This! — epicureanvegan @ 11:48 am
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Every Friday, I will be posting Feast On This! It will consist of interesting, thought-provoking and socially relative issues and concerns as well as overall health news. I think that when you’ve made the decision to go vegan, it’s impossible to not care about certain things like, animal rights, the environment, and your health. For many people, their health was the motivating factor to go vegan (the American Cancer Society doesn’t promote a vegan diet for nothing)!

My hope in doing this, is that as you finish your work week, you’ll take a gander at these, prompting a discussion with your co-workers, date night companion and guests at the weekend get together.

I tend to do a lot of reading and research on veganism and health and so often, I come across many fascinating, debate-invoking and just plain upsetting issues that I want to share it with others and possibly get some dialogue going. It’s how we learn from one another and hopefully in the process, create a sense of self-awareness and the ability to see things from many angles.

Folic Acid Overload?

Prevention Magazine (April 2010) did a fascinating (and alarming) article on synthetic folic acid-fortified foods. To help prevent birth defects in babies, the government required enriched grains, such as white flour and white rice, be fortified with folic acid. Over the last ten years of this, other products were added to their list: cereals, nutrition bars, beverages and pastas. Even though this tactic is said to have dropped the rate of birth defects, turns out, it may have risen our risk for cancer.

Last winter, the Journal of the American Medicine Association printed their increasing concerns that the over-abundance of this nutrient has done more harm than good. Health officials in Chile reported that since fortification in their country was introduced in 2000, rate of colon cancer among men and women doubled in their country. Other countries—the US and Canada included, have reported higher rates as well.

Check out the article on this growing issue and decide for yourself if the overdosing of folic acid is cause for concern. (And read food labels, particularly on cereals, breads, and pastas–you’ll find folic acid, usually the last ingredient. But…not in whole-grain products).

Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act (PFACA):

Finally, legislation to protect animals from cruelty—it’s certainly a start. A bill was introduced in March by CA reps, Diane Watson and Elton Gallegly for laws requiring that all animals products purchased by the US federal government will have to come from animals who were able to stand up, lie down, and extend their limbs.

The bill doesn’t pertain to all animals products in the US, just government funded programs such as the Armed Forces and National School Lunch Program. When you consider that more than a 100 million pounds of beef are purchased per year for the school lunch program alone (more than 96,000 schools) this could be huge! A step in the right direction for animals rights. Follow the progress and outcome of this bill.

Source: VegNews, April 2010

Global Warming and Animal production

It seems there isn’t a hotter, more controversial topic these days than greenhouse gases, global warming and who’s to blame. Others are debating on whether or not it even exists!

There has been particular debate over how much meat and dairy production contributes to this ever-growing problem. And global warming isn’t all. Animal product product is blamed for land degradation, food contamination, and air and water pollution.

A 2006 UN report has it at 18%, while a 2009 study by WorldWatch has it as high as 51%!

No matter where you fall on this issue, check out UN’s study and the WorldWatch study.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of live on

Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

-Albert Einstein

 

Western Tofu Scramble April 29, 2010

Filed under: Breakfasts — epicureanvegan @ 8:28 am
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This is a great way to start the morning! Especially when the morning is snowy. Yes…snowy. It’s the end of April, right? Well it snowed last night, so instead of heading out for my morning walk, I decided to cook up a protein-packed breakfast and tackle that walk later when things clear up.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1-14oz pkg. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled

3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 a large orange or red bell pepper, diced (about 3/4 C)

4 green onions, sliced (or 1/4 C of diced yellow onion)

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/3 C salsa

1/4-1/3 C vegan cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add garlic and bell pepper. Reduce to medium heat and saute until pepper is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the green onion and saute another minute, then add the cumin and turmeric. Add tofu and stir to combine–the turmeric will immediately turn the tofu yellowy-orange, like real scrambled eggs. You don’t have to use it–totally optional. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the salsa, then the cheese. Serve alone, or wrap in a warmed flour tortilla and enjoy!

 

Product Review: We Can’t Say It’s Cheese Spreads/Dips April 27, 2010

Filed under: Appetizers,Product Reviews — epicureanvegan @ 9:03 pm
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Perhaps what the Nicotine Patch does for smokers, this product does for recovering cheese addicts such as myself. Even though it’s been three years since I kicked the dairy habit, Wayfare is helping me with those every-so-often cheese cravings with their cheese spreads and dips called, We Can’t Say it’s Cheese.

For around $3.60 for an 8oz container, you too, can satisfy any cheese cravings. I picked up 3 of their four varieties:

Cheddar-Style Spread (They also make this in a dip)

Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread

and

Mexi Cheddar-Style Dip

The look and texture resembles peanut butter, but smells like actual cheese. For the taste test, I served these for a get together with my non-vegan friends and they were quite impressed! We liked them on crackers and a slice of apple.

As for the different flavors, I didn’t particularly like the Mexi flavor–all I could really taste was taco seasonings. However, the Husband liked that one. I have to say, that the Hickory-Smoked one was my favorite–but the Husband and another guest didn’t care for that one, yet admitting, they don’t like smoked products anyway. The Cheddar-Style ranks way up there, too. None of the flavors I tried had that fake taste like a lot of vegan cheeses can have–it tasted much like real cheese, minus the hormones and nastiness.

WayFare itself is an impressive company…all their products are Non-Dairy, All Natural, Wheat-Free, No Trans Fats, Soy-Free, No Casein, Vegan, No GMOs, No Canola, No Cholesterol, Kosher Pareve: Healthy Ingredients

In fact, here’s a list of ingredients from the Hickory-Smoked variety: (I can even pronounce them all)! Prepared non GMO whole grain oatmeal (water and oats), vegetable oil blend, sesame, pimentos, nutritional yeast, sea salt, natural hickory smoke flavor, calcium carbonate, onion powder, evaporated cane juice.

A serving size is 2 tablespoons–carrying 60 calories and 5 grams of fat, 3 of which is saturated. So not perfect. But better than the real deal. I’m hoping they’ll come up with a goat cheese style…

WayFare has a great website with more information on their products and recipes. (You can even make mac ‘n cheese with this stuff)! Give it a try and tell me what you think!

(Don’t worry…I had lots of help–wasn’t just me)!

 

Spinach and Tofu Calzones April 26, 2010

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 7:33 pm
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Now that’s a calzone!

I’ve noticed I’ve been making a lot of pasta/Italian dishes like the Stuffed Shells and Lasagna–no reason, really–perhaps the rainy weather is prompting cravings for comfort food…whatever the reason, I’m not complaining.

The spinach part of the recipe makes quite a hog of a calzone, so if you’re not into that, I recommend either halving the spinach/tofu mixture or doubling the dough recipe to make more calzone that can be stored in the fridge or freezer…or make smaller calzones–8 instead of 4. As the recipe stands, you could easily split one between two people.  Add your favorite pizza toppings if you wish…I added mushrooms, olives (black, green or both), vegan mozzarella. Try Smart Deli ham with pineapple…you name it. I also warmed up 1/2 a jar of marinara sauce to pour on top–a must!

INGREDIENTS:

1 C cooked, chopped spinach, squeezed dry

4 oz soft silken tofu, drained

Salt and pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-16oz pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled (I use 14 oz since that’s all I had)

1 Tbs minced fresh basil leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

Optional: your favorite calzone/pizza toppings like mushrooms, olives, vegan ham, pineapple…

Optional: 1/2-1 C vegan mozzarella

Optional: 1/2 a jar of marinara sauce (Muir Glen Organics only has 4 grams of sugar–much less than my previous favorite–Newman’s Own)

1 recipe Traditional Pizza Dough (below):

1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 C warm water

2-1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Pinch of sugar or natural sweetener

1 Tbs olive oil, plus more for spreading

DIRECTIONS:

To make dough: Place yeast in a small bowl. Add 1/4 C of the water and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. To make the dough in the food processor (like I did), combine the flour, salt, and sugar, pulsing to blend. With the machine running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube, along with the olive oil and as much of the remaining 1/2 water (I needed another 1/3 C in addition to the 1/2 C) as necessary to make the dough hold together. To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture, olive oil, and remaining 1/2 C water until well combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl. Spread a small amount of oil on top of the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Use immediately or store for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator or for 3-4 weeks in the freezer. Make sure it is tightly wrapped in plastic.

(I decided to store it in the fridge for about 45 minutes and it continued to rise…)

Anyway…

To make calzone: Preheat oven to 375. In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach, silken tofu, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and set aside.

(I recommend having the rest of the ingredients ready to go before proceeding).  Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the firm tofu, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring , until any liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach mixture. Taste and adjust the seasonings, the set side to cool.

Punch the dough down and divide it in half (to make 4 calzones, divide into fourths). On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a 1/4″ thick circle. Divide the filling equally between the dough circles, leaving a 1″ border around the edge. (This is where I smooshed in fresh mushroom pieces, olives and a bit of vegan mozzarella).

Fold the empty half of the dough over the filling and press down along the edge with your fingers, then seal with a fork.

Place on a lightly oiled pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

If using, heat marinara over the stove and pour a ladle-full over the calzone. Top with a pinch or two of vegan mozzarella and enjoy!

Recipe source: Vegan Planet

 

Field Roast with Fresh Blueberry Sauce April 25, 2010

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 6:04 pm
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The original recipe uses pork, but a 1-lb vegan Field Roast was the perfect substitute. This was actually the first time I’ve tried this product and I was really impressed with it. (For $7, I sure hope so)! It was worth it.

(I used the one on the right) The “roast” has a pork-like texture and just a hint of actual pork taste. Made mostly of butternut squash, apples and mushrooms, it was delicious. One 4-oz serving has only 90 calories, no cholesterol, only 0.5 grams of saturated fat–and get this–there are 31 grams of protein per serving as well! I will definitely buy this particular product again and won’t hesitate to try their other products. The sauce itself is pretty easy to make and the flavor is very subtle–it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the roast and isn’t too sweet either–it’s just right.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Vegan Field Roast, sliced (about 6-7 slices), thawed

2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs rice vinegar

2 Tbs white wine

2/3 C blueberry juice

1-2/3 C vegetable broth

3/4 C fresh blueberries

2 Tbs cornstarch

2 Tbs canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

Place roast slices in a large skillet with the canola oil. Lightly brown each side–won’t take much–about 3-4 minutes per side.

In a large saucepan, add sugar and about 1/8 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add rice vinegar when the sugar changes color. Boil again and add the white wine. Reduce to a syrup, then add the blueberry juice and reduce to half, about 4 minutes. Add broth and boil to desired consistency–you will probably need to mix the cornstarch with about 1/8-1/4 cup of water and then add to the sauce to thicken. Add blueberries and taste for seasoning. The sauce yields about 2 cups.

Serve the roast slices with a ladle full of sauce and enjoy!

Recipe source: Eat Canadian

 

More Hummus Varieties April 24, 2010

Filed under: Appetizers,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 10:09 am
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I love that hummus is so versatile and easy to make. It’s also cheaper to make your own than buying prepackaged hummus. Here are two other varieties that a friend introduced me to and please note, the picture shows just half what the recipe yields.

INGREDIENTS:

4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
two 1-pound 3-ounce cans chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup well stirred tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 C olive oil, or to taste

For Parsley and Garlic Hummus
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup parsley
1-2 garlic cloves, depending on taste

For Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
2-3 peppers from a can of roasted red pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil

Other variety would  be adding black or kalamata olives…yum!

DIRECTIONS:

On a cutting board mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a food processor purée the chick-peas with the garlic paste, the tahini, the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl.

The hummus should be a little thick in consistency, place half in a bowl and save for later for the roasted red pepper.

In the food processor, cleaned, purée the remaining 1/4 cup oil with the parsley and garlic until the oil is bright green and the parsley is minced transfer the parsley oil to a small jar. The hummus and the parsley oil may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. If the consistency still seems too thick, add more warm water if needed.

Add the other half of the hummus in the food processor. Add two to three roasted red peppers and olive oil. If needed added more water.

Serve with crackers, veggies, on sandwiches as a spread and a million other ways.

Recipe source: Kitchen Challengers

 

Product Review: Tofutti Cuties–Cookies ‘N Cream April 23, 2010

Filed under: Desserts,Product Reviews — epicureanvegan @ 3:03 pm
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Delicious. That’s about it.

Ok, so here’s the low-down: 1 cutie is 130 calories with 6 grams of fat. So not the healthiest, but c’mon, it’s fake ice cream! And when you’re a vegan, tasty fake ice cream is like striking gold.

Completely dairy-free, these ice cream sandwiches come in several flavors: Cookies ‘N Cream, Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Key Lime, Wild Berry, Coffee Break, Strawberry Wave, and Very Vanilla (I guess the other vanilla is just sort of vanilla).

Here’s a list of ingredients: water, sugar, corn syrup solids, contains one or more of the following oils: (Corn, soy, coconut, and palm), soy protein, tofu, cocoa butter, vanilla, crunch (unbleached wheat flour, cocoa sugar), soy lecithin, guar seed gum, carrageenan, carob bean gum, salt.

Wafer ingredients: unbleached wheat flour, sugar, caramel color, soybean oil, yellow corn flour, cocoa processed with alkali, modified corn starch, salt, baking soda, vegetable mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin.

They are the perfect sized dessert–at least for me (and kids)–and taste sweet, but not overly sweet. Compared to the ice cream sandwiches I had as a kid, these taste identical, if not better!

Check out Tofutti’s site for more info.

 

Vegetable Lasagna April 18, 2010

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 6:20 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

This lasagna is delicious, simple and healthy! I used the same tofu mixture recipe as the Stuffed Shells and it was perfect for this meal. I used the no-boil lasagna noodles since they’re such a time saver–just make sure that every inch gets covered with sauce, otherwise, any bare spots won’t cook and will be crunchy.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbs olive oil

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2-1/2 C zucchini, sliced thin

2-1/2 C portobello mushrooms, sliced

2/3 C onion, chopped

1 14-oz pgk. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

1 jar marinara sauce, divided into thirds (I like Newman’s Own)

1/4-1/3 C nutritional yeast

1 C fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbs lemon juice

8-oz vegan mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375.

To make tofu mixture: Add tofu, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice to a food processor and process well until the mixture resembles ricotta cheese. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions, zucchini and mushrooms in the olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, just enough to soften them.

In a 15″ baking pan, line the bottom with 4 of the lasagna noodles. Top with half of the tofu mixture, half of vegetables, sprinkle with a layer of cheese and then 1/3 of the sauce.

Top with another 4 noodles, the other half of the tofu mixture and other half of veggies. Add another thin layer of cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Top with remaining 4 noodles, rest of sauce and rest of cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

 

 
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