Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

“Cheddar” and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip October 30, 2010

Filed under: Appetizers — epicureanvegan @ 5:01 pm
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Like the Party Cheese Ball, people will not be able to tell this is vegan! I love this dip and I guarantee, so will your guests (that is, if you don’t eat it all yourself)!

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz Tofutti cream cheese

1/4 C Tofutti sour cream

1/2 C plain soy yogurt

2 C vegan cheddar, shredded (Daiya brand)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

4 scallions, sliced thin

8 (I recommend 10-12) oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, drained and minced

Dash of salt

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together cream cheese, sour cream, and yogurt in a medium bowl. Stir in the cheddar, garlic, scallions,  tomatoes, and salt. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with crackers, chips and veggies. Enjoy!

Recipe: adapted from Beyond the Moon Cookbook

 

Feast On This! October 28, 2010

Filed under: Feast On This! — epicureanvegan @ 5:29 pm
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The United Nations Environmental Program’s Report

You’ve probably heard about their report, or at least got wind of it on blogger sites. It has created quite a debate among vegans, carnivores, environmentalists, and everyone in between. The report, issued this summer, suggested people move to a plant-based diet to save the world from hunger, poverty, and global warming and other environmental issues. This isn’t something we haven’t heard before—there are have been numerous studies showing the same results. The University of Chicago’s findings in 2006 also showed that a vegan diet is healthier for people and for the planet.

Professor Edgar Hertwich, one of the lead authors of the UN report said:

“Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels.”

According to the report, the production of dairy products, consumes 70% of global fresh water, 38% of land use and 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report sparked some debate all over the internet world, particularly on the Guardian and it was mixed, but what I found so disheartening, were the amount of people making idiotic jokes about the situation: “Never mind i will just move onto Kangaroo meat…” So many people just don’t care. Telling people that something they love (something we have been eating for generations) is not good for you or for the environment, brings out the worst in people.

What I hope people see is that we’ve been brainwashed into eating animal products and it’s a matter of becoming aware. I strongly urge to read the report HERE.

So I began this post Thursday afternoon and then . . . we decided to go see a movie. Waiting for “Superman“. It has absolutely nothing to do with food, let alone vegan food, but it has to do with something that is also very important to me: public education. I had to share this with all of you.

 

 

Davis Guggenheim, director of An Inconvenient Truth, brings us this documentary about the US’s failing pubic schools and the possible reasons why. It’s a very powerful film that left The Husband and I dumbfounded, furious, and feeling very lucky that our son is able to attend an amazing public school. Millions of kids and families aren’t so lucky. Check out the trailer and please go see it. We even took The Sixth Grader—a great age for kids to see this movie. I think it opened his eyes to the realities that so many other kids face.

 

Person of the Year


As if just for me, VegNews features Bob Harper on the cover of their latest issue and . . . name him Person of the Year! Woo hoo! As you may recall, I had blogged about my favorite trainer not too long ago and here he is. Also, on VegNews.com, it appears that his cohort, Jillian Michaels, who is not a vegan, is now endorsing So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage. She says avoids eating beef and chicken because of slaughterhouse practices, which I commend, but how is pork, dairy and other animal products different? And why do they promote Jennie-O products on the show? I’m guessing it’s a contractual thing, but it’s too bad. In this case, I say preach what you practice.

 

“Truely man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs.  We live by the death of others:  we are burial places!  I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look on the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men.”

-Leonardo da Vinci

 

Product Review: Amy’s Non-Dairy Pizza with Rice Crust October 27, 2010

Filed under: Product Reviews — epicureanvegan @ 5:07 pm
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I cruised the frozen section of my favorite health food store for something new to try that promised to be vegan deliciousness. I came across Amy’s Gluten-Free and Non-Dairy Cheeze Pizza with Rice Crust. Sounded promising, especially since Amy scored with the non-dairy mac and cheeze. I decided to overlook the $6.99 price tag and give it a try.

I preheated the oven to 425, as instructed and inspected the 7″ pizza. It looked enticing with more cheese than I was expecting—most frozen pizzas can be sparse on the toppings, as was the case with Amy’s No Cheese Pizza.

The instructions suggest baking the pizza for 8-10 minutes, then “carefully remove pizza directly under the broiler. Broil for 45-60 seconds, just enough to melt cheese.” Well, this isn’t easy to do. I don’t recommend holding it up to the broiler–too hot. So I left the pizza on the rack, closed the oven door and let the broiler work its toasting/melting magic. The results were less than stellar. It’s pretty hard to melt the cheese without burning the crust in the process.

(Yes, the above pic is the baked pizza–I know, kind of hard to tell . . . see burnt edge of crust).

Anyway, I never let a little charred bread get the best of me, so I sliced it up and dug in. Drumroll, please. . .

It didn’t  move me. I did not do my happy vegan food dance that I am known to do when yummy vegan food leaves me speechless. This left me wanting some flavor. I was tempted to sprinkle on some Daiya cheese and throw it back in the oven, but after spending $7, I wasn’t going to add more to it by using up some of my coveted vegan shreds. (The back of the box even says, “And of course you can add your own favorite toppings!”) Not for that price. The crust was ok–a little too soggy in the middle. There just wasn’t any flavor—nothing. Pretty disappointing, especially for the cost. Oh well. So far it seems Amy can’t quite master the vegan pizza—but I will say, that’s not an easy task. However, I wonder since they use Daiya in the mac and cheeze, why can’t they use it for the pizza?

Click HERE for a list of the ingredients.

 

GORP Cookies October 26, 2010

Filed under: Desserts — epicureanvegan @ 4:47 pm
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Easy, somewhat healthy and delicious! Need I say more?

INGREDIENTS:

1 C Earth Balance margarine, softened

1 C brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tsp almond milk (or 1 tsp almond milk and 1 tsp vanilla)

1 tsp baking soda

2 C flour (or 1-3/4 C flour and 1/4 C wheat germ)

1 C raisins

1 C peanuts, roasted and unsalted

3/4 C dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli Semi-sweet chips)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and brown sugar. Add milk (and/or vanilla) and baking soda. Mix in flour (and/or wheat germ). Stir in peanuts, raisins, and chocolate chips.

Drop a tablespoon of batter onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking racks–makes 45-48 cookies.

 

Lasagna Roll-ups October 25, 2010

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 8:19 pm
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This is an easy twist on a classic. I’ve seen these done where you place the roll-ups on the side so the cute, frilly side of the noodle faces up, but I could just see things going wrong for me, so if you’re feeling brave, by all means, go for it!

INGREDIENTS:

My go-to tofu ricotta:

1 14-oz firm (or extra firm) tofu, drained and pressed

1/3 C nutritional yeast

1 C fresh basil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 C vegan mozzarella, shredded

The rest:

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 Tbs olive oil

18 lasagna noodles

3-1/2 C fresh spinach, chopped

2 small zucchini, sliced very thin

10 mushrooms, sliced very thin

8-0z vegan mozzarella, shredded

1 jar marinara sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles for about 7-8 minutes. Make sure you don’t cook them all the way—it’ll be easier to use them if they’re very al dente. Crumble tofu into a food processor. Add nutritional yeast, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Puree well. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the 1/2 cup of vegan mozzarella.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and garlic. Add the zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook just another 2-3 minutes.

Put a thin layer of marinara on the bottom of a 15″ baking pan (I forgot to do this, but its no big deal). Use a spoon or rubber spatula to spread about 1-2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on a lasagna noodle. Next, layer on some spinach, zucchini mixture (only about 8-10 pieces) and a little cheese.

Carefully roll up noodle and place in the pan.

Once all 18 noodles (one of mine was broken, so I have 17) pour the rest of the sauce over the rolls and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Mushroom Garlic Bisque October 24, 2010

Filed under: Soups — epicureanvegan @ 7:14 pm
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I had a feeling I was going to like this mauve-colored soup because it not only has mushrooms, but wine as well. Yep, I love it. This comes from a cookbook that I’ve recently rediscovered—I’ve had it for years. Beyond the Moon Cookbook is all vegetarian, so I had to veganize the soup, which was no problem. Served with some rustic bread, this soup was ideal for a chilly fall evening.

INGREDIENTS:

2 C dry red wine

1-1/2 lbs mushrooms, quartered (about 6 cups)

1 Tbs Earth Balance margarine

1-1/2 C onions, chopped

10 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1-1/2 C fresh bread crumbs (I used an olive loaf and chopped up about 1/2 of it)

1 C Tofutti sour cream

2-1/2 C almond milk

2 Tbs tamari

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs fresh basil, chopped

Dash of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large soup pot, heat 1-1/2 cups of the wine and add the mushrooms .

Simmer, partially covered, until the mushrooms have absorbed all wine, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions, garlic, and thyme until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

Puree the onions in a food processor.

Add the bread crumbs, sour cream, and three-quarters of the cooked mushrooms.

(fresh bread crumbs)

Process until smooth.

Stir the puree into the soup pot with the left over mushrooms. Whisk in the milk, tamari, salt, basil, pepper, remaining 1/2 cup red wine, and 2-1/2 cups of water. Heat until warmed through, stirring often. Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy!

 

Fluffy Vegan Pancakes October 23, 2010

Filed under: Breakfasts — epicureanvegan @ 10:07 am
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The Sixth Grader helped me make pancakes—he’s actually quite a seasoned pancake-flipper and was very explicit in his instructions. He wanted to make sure I told all of you the importance of not pressing down on the pancake once it is flipped; you lose all fluffiness. These are simple to throw together and if you’re lucky enough to have a Pancake-Flipper pro, breakfast is done in no time!

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

3 Tbs baking powder

2 Tbs sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 C vanilla almond milk

4 Tbs vegetable oil

Cooking spray

Earth Balance margarine

Maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Combine flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk in milk and oil and combine until smooth.

Spray a skillet or flat griddle and heat on medium heat. Add about 1/3 to 1/2 C of batter to make each pancake. A good rule of thumb when making these is to wait until air holes/bubbles form before flipping. Flip and cook until golden brown (and remember, no pressing down with the spatula)!

I typically keep them warm in the oven until finished, then smother with some Earth Balance and maple syrup and enjoy!

Makes about a dozen pancakes.

*I don’t recommend this batter for waffles. We tried that the next morning and it didn’t work to swell.

 

Feast On This! October 22, 2010

Filed under: Feast On This! — epicureanvegan @ 6:24 am
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Lady Gag-Gag

I’ve tried to avoid anything regarding this because I’m sure it was all about publicity,but when the Sixth Grader heard Lady Gaga’s comments on Ellen about the “dress”, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“Well, it’s certainly no disrespect to anyone that’s vegan or vegetarian….I, as you know, am the most judgment-free human being on Earth,” said La Gaga. “However, it has many interpretations — but for me this evening it’s that if we don’t stand up for what we believe in, if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re gonna have as much rights as the meat on our bones.”

First of all, if you can decipher what the hell she is saying, then you’re one-up on me. Whose rights is she referring to? Certainly not the animal’s. Of course she has the right to wear what she wants, but what was the point of this? Could she not have expressed “her right” in another, less offensive and disgusting way? Or am I taking away her right by saying that? And then did she really need to wear it again and parade in front of a vegan (Ellen)?

Apparently, however, she has a “beef” with fur and while wearing a Kermit outfit, said:

“…. I really loved this one in particular because I thought it was commentary on not wearing fur, ’cause I hate fur and I don’t wear fur. We were all laughing in the house about how it looks like a pile of dead Kermits.”

She makes about as much sense as a back pocket on a shirt. Actually I don’t think sense has anything to do with it–it’s called hypocrisy.

 

VeganMoFo Time!


That is, Vegan Month of Food! Vegan bloggers are encouraged to blog everyday in the month of November about everything vegan. I think I’m up for the challenge! Post Punk Kitchen came up with the idea based on NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month–also in November). Since I already have my hands full with a nonfiction writing project, I’ll have to skip NaNoWriMo this year, but I think I can handle VeganMoFo.

And don’t forget, November 1 marks the beginning of Vegan World Month, so host a fabulous vegan feast for your friends and loved ones!

“I eat everything that nature voluntarily gives:  fruits, vegetables, and the products of plants.  But I ask you to spare me what animals are forced to surrender:  meat, milk, and cheese.”

-Author Unknown

 

Stuffed Bell Peppers October 19, 2010

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 4:54 pm
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OK, I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to make stuffed peppers. We happened to get a TON of green bell peppers from our CSA yesterday:

This is just a third of what we received–the rest went to my 2 other neighbor who share in the CSA with us.

I guarantee you will LOVE these stuffed peppers. I debated on what to put in them, but when it came down to it, I wanted to make them as simple as possible. As the Sixth Grader said,”These are cooked perfectly; they cut like butter!”

INGREDIENTS:

11 small bell peppers, or 6-7 large peppers

1/2 C Arborio rice (risotto)

3/4 C water

1-1/2 tsp Earth Balance margarine

4 C fresh spinach, chopped small

1 large tomato, diced

6 -oz Tofutti cream cheese

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbs dried minced onion

1/2 C Tofutti sour cream

1/4 C fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 Tbs lime juice

1/8 tsp garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:

In a small saucepan combine water, rice, and butter. Bring to a boil, stir, and cover for 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Wash the peppers and cut the tops off. Clean out the insides of seeds and other innards.

Combine cream cheese with cooked rice (in the same pan) and blend thoroughly. Since the rice is warm, it’ll make it easier to to blend. Stir in cumin and minced onion. Add spinach and tomatoes and combine well.

Fill each pepper with the rice mixture. You can pack in quite a bit of the rice mixture, just press down with a spoon—pretend you’re stuffing a sleeping bag into its stuff sack. Place in a 8″ square pan.

 

I had about 3/4 C of left over rice mixture, but if using larger peppers, you can probably squeeze it all into those.

Bake covered for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes. While these are baking, combine sour cream, lime juice, cilantro and garlic salt in a small bowl.

Add a few dollops of the sour cream mixture on top of the pepper servings and enjoy!

 

Potato-Spinach Bake and Pesto Pizzas October 17, 2010

Filed under: Dinners,Lunches — epicureanvegan @ 4:37 pm
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I stared at a bag of small red potatoes, wondering what I should make with them before they go bad (and before getting more tomorrow from our CSA). It’s hard not to think of comfort food when making something with potatoes, so I threw together an easy casserole using stuff just sitting around in the fridge and pantry. I was going to make just regular garlic toast with some pesto butter,  but the Sixth Grader had the idea to make little pesto pizzas and they were amazing!

INGREDIENTS:

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 C red and/or russet potatoes, diced

5 C fresh spinach, chopped

8-10 mushrooms, quartered

1-1/4 C Tofutti sour cream

1 C vegan cheddar, divided

1/4 C almond milk (or other nondairy milk)

1-1.8 oz pkg. leek soup mix

2 Field Roast Italian Sausage links, diced (optional)

Pesto/tomato pizzas:

2 round flat breads, each cut into fourths

1/4 C pesto

1/3 C Earth Balance margarine

1 /2 large tomato, thinly sliced

3/4 C vegan mozzarella, shredded

Olive oil

Garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil and garlic in a large skillet. Add potatoes and cook until somewhat soft, about 10-15 minutes. In the meantime,  combine the sour cream, 1/2 a cup of the cheddar, milk, and the leek soup mix. If using, add the Field Roast to the skillet and cook just a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the potato mix, spinach, mushrooms, and sour cream mixture. Pour into a 9×13″ baking dish, cover, and bake for 40 minutes.

Add the rest of the cheese and bake uncovered until cheese melts, about 2-3 minutes.

To make the pesto pizzas, preheat broiler on high. Combine pesto and butter in a small bowl.

Brush flat bread with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Spread about a tablespoon of pesto onto flat bread pieces, then some cheese and a tomato slice.

Place under the broiler about 3 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Enjoy!

 

 
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