Archives for January 2011

Eggplant Parmagiano Stew

January 6, 2011 by epicureanvegan

It’s soup season and this chili-like stew is delicious and satisfying. It also comes together rather quickly, so from start to finish, it takes only about 35-40 minutes. The stew and Parmesan recipes come from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, which is shaping up to be my latest obsession. The Husband and Sixth Grader even rank this as one of their favorite soups. And the Parmesan?! It’s fabulous—ideal with this stew as well as with pastas and anything needing Parmesan cheese. It’s also a great source of protein and B vitamins with the almonds and nutritional yeast.

INGREDIENTS:
Stew:
8 C vegetable broth (I used 4 C of low-sodium broth to not overdose on the salt)
1-6oz can tomato paste
1 Tbs crushed garlic
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and diced
2 C finely chopped, packed kale
1 large onion, chopped
4 C drained cooked or canned white beans (2-15 or 16oz cans)
1/2 C nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp oregano
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
Salt, pepper, and cayenne

Parmezano Sprinkles:
1/2 C blanched almonds
2 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes
1-2 tsp light miso
Heaping 1/4 tsp salt

The beautiful eggplant I got from Green Buffalo Food Co. on Tuesday.

DIRECTIONS:
I made the Parmezano Sprinkles earlier in the day, so I’ll start with those. To blanch the almonds, place them in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes, then drain them; rinse with cold water. When pinched between your fingers, the skins will slide right off. Dry off with a paper towel and place the almonds in a food processor; grind to a fine powder. Add remaining ingredients and pulse several times to incorporate everything. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator; will keep for a month or so and can be frozen. (This is fabulous on steamed veggies, particularly kale)!

To make the stew, combine the broth, tomato paste, and garlic in a large soup pot. Add the eggplant, onion and kale. The kale has to be finely chopped, so I recommend using your food processor for a real time saver. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender, but still firm.

Transfer 2 cups of the broth, 2 cups of the beans, nutritional yeast, and oregano in a blender and process until smooth.

Pour it into the soup pot and mix well. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of beans and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne and simmer uncovered until the beans and tomatoes are heated through. Garnish with the Parmezano Sprinkles and enjoy!

Crock Cheez

January 5, 2011 by epicureanvegan

When I tell people I’m vegan, a lot of them will say that they could probably give up meat, but cheese?! Are you kidding? They just can’t give up this coagulated, compressed, salty, melty product of milk. I can understand; back in the day, I was definitely a cheese-whore. But thanks to The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, I can go back to my cheese-whoring days of yore. If you don’t already have this cookbook, run, walk, bike, drive (carpool, if you can), ride the bus . . . to the nearest locally-owned and operated (if possible) bookstore and buy it! Either that, or visit me often, because rest assured, I will be making (and posting) every recipe from this cookbook throughout the coming months. I am amazed at how delicious (and easy!) these recipes are. I know . . *eye roll* . . .there may be a few cheeze recipes that won’t fool you skeptics out there, but that’s okay, I’m aware that some fake cheese taste, well, fake. It’s gonna happen, but I’m finding that there are enough out there to make up for those few. This crock cheeze is absolutely amazing! It tastes incredible. The cookbook also list several different variations of this recipe that I will definitely try–watch out for those posts. 🙂 I made it shortly before dinner and I wanted to eat just that on crackers, but my family would have gone hungry . . . I don’t know that I would have shared.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb (8oz) firm regular tofu, drained and pressed
3 Tbs nutritional yeast
2 Tbs Tahini or raw cashew butter (I used tahini)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbs light miso
1 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard

I love Denver Tofu (not just because I live in Colorado) but because it really is outstanding.

DIRECTIONS:

Cut tofu into large cubes. Place in a small saucepan and cover with water—just enough to cover the tofu. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain well. I used a fine mesh strainer to ensure any small pieces didn’t fall through. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator until it’s easy to handle. Crumble it up into a food processor and add the other ingredients. Process until smooth, scraping the sides, if necessary. Transfer to an airtight container and chill in the fridge for several hours to overnight. This is a pretty important step, like with the Party Cheese Ball and the Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip. The flavors really need a chance to mesh and mingle. That is, if you can wait that long. 🙂

Product Review: Nate’s Meatless Meatballs (Meatball Sandwiches)

January 4, 2011 by epicureanvegan

I was never a meatball sandwich kind of gal—something about eating balls of meat that didn’t quite appeal to me. The men of my household, on the other hand, seem to gravitate toward these kinds of cancer-licious subs (or at least, they used to). Here we are coming up on a year of veganism and this is the first time I’ve made “meatball” sandwiches. I’ve made seitan meatballs before, which are pretty damn good, but this time, I needed something quick, so I went with Nate’s Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs. Of course, I forgot how much I paid for them since I bought them (frozen) last week, but I’m pretty sure they were under $4 for 12 oz.

So here’s what I did:

Opened a jar of marinara sauce, poured it in a pan and then dumped the meat-free balls in.

Let simmer about 10-15 minutes. Toast some French rolls for a couple of minutes under the broiler and bada-bing, you’re done.I recommend using your absolute favorite marinara and/or adding some spices because the “zesty Italian” I was expecting wasn’t all that zesty. They needed some kick–not that flavorful. With that said . . . they were very “meat-like”, but without the grossness of real meat. 🙂 The consistency was much like beef and they certainly didn’t have a weird “fake” taste. Quite satisfying.

I sliced them in half using tongs and a serrated knife–you can try doing this while they are frozen. They stack better in the bread if sliced.

Layer on some vegan mozzarella on the rolls, then some sliced “meat” balls and then some more cheeze—that easy.

Angel Hair Pasta with Mushrooms and Ricotta

January 2, 2011 by epicureanvegan

This is so light and flavorful that The Husband is already looking forward to the leftovers. The original recipe is from the latest issue of Sunset Magazine, but I made lots of changes. So really, I guess that means I was inspired by the recipe . . .

INGREDIENTS:
6 oz angel hair pasta
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt, to taste
1/2 C vegan ricotta (recipe below)
1/4 C toasted croutons, crushed (I made my own—see below)
1/3 C flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 Tbs olive oil, divided

Ricotta:
14 oz extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/3 C nutritional yeast
1/2 C to 1 C fresh basil leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs lemon juice

Croutons:
2-3 slices French bread, toasted, then chopped and crushed

DIRECTIONS:
To make ricotta: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend well. You’ll only need about 1/3 to 1/2 C, so either refrigerate the rest for a few days for another meal, or freeze it.

Cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain. Heat 2 Tbs of the olive oil and add the mushrooms; cook until browned. Add the leeks and garlic and cook about 1-2 minutes. Season with salt. Toss the pasta with the mushroom mixture, reserved pasta sauce and remaining 2Tbs of olive oil.

Top with little dollops of the ricotta and some parsley. Enjoy!

Field Roast Breakfast Tarts

January 2, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Happy New Year!

I love when The Husband and I collaborate on breakfast, especially on lazy mornings like this. “These were nothing shy of brilliant,” he says as we savor each bite in between sips of coffee. What I love about these is that (much to my dismay 😉 ) The Sixth Grader and Husband don’t always like the same veggies and ingredients that I do (I know. . .can you believe it)? So these tarts (or pizzas) make it easy to come up with your favorite creation. One ingredient we all agree on are hash browns, so he fried those up while I threw together the dough. The only hard part was getting the kid out of bed—it was almost 10:00! (I guess that’s what Christmas vacation is for).

INGREDIENTS:
Dough: for 6 tarts
1-1/2 C flour
3/4 C Earth Balance margarine
1/4 C – 1/3 C ice water

The Rest:
1-16oz bag frozen hash browns, cooked
1-2 C kale, torn into pieces
4-5 mushrooms
1 Field Roast Chipotle Flavor, crumbed or ground
1/2 C- 3/4 C Dayia shredded cheddar or mozzarella flavor
Other ingredient ideas: diced potatoes, tomatoes, scrambled tofu, olives, spinach

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. To prepare the dough: Combine the flour and margarine in the food processor until crumbly. While the machine is running, gradually pour in the water until a slightly moist dough forms. Knead just a couple of minutes. Divide into 6 equal pieces and roll out. Gently line the tart pans with the dough, then press the excess along the edge to cut it off. Prick the bottom of each tart and bake for about 7 minutes. Add your favorite ingredients. We started with the kale . . .

. . .then went with the hash browns, mushrooms, Field Roast and cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they begin to brown. The crust is so flaky (and thin—depending on how thick you roll it out) and doesn’t take over the other ingredients; it’s the right amount and combination of ingredients. Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmagiano Stew

Crock Cheez

Product Review: Nate’s Meatless Meatballs (Meatball Sandwiches)

Angel Hair Pasta with Mushrooms and Ricotta

Field Roast Breakfast Tarts

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