Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

Chocolate-Espresso Balsamic Granola March 31, 2011

Filed under: Breakfasts,Sides,Snacks — epicureanvegan @ 3:50 pm
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Oh, my. This is good. This is similar to my original granola recipe, but tweaked a little. Flavored oils or balsamic vinegars are ideal for granola. I don’t care for overly sweet granola, so this Chocolate-Espresso balsamic vinegar adds just the right amount of sweetness. Great for cereal, on top of yogurt, or with ice cream. A new olive oil/vinegar shop recently opened up downtown and a friend and I spent at least 45 minutes tasting all their different varieties. I found what I was looking for. A little pricey at $15, it will be slowly savored.

INGREDIENTS:

2 C oats

1 C coconut, shredded

1/2 C wheat germ

1/2 C each: walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds

1 tsp salt

1/4 C flavored balsamic vinegar

1/8 C brown rice syrup

1/4 C almond milk

1/8 C olive oil

6 to 8 oz dried fruit, such as craisins or cherries

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300. Line a large baking sheet with foil, and mist with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, oil, brown rice syrup, and almond milk.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. Spread the granola mixture on the prepared baking sheet; spread it out evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the dried fruit. Once it has cooled, store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

 

Apple Coffee Cake for Monet March 30, 2011

Filed under: Breads,Breakfasts,Desserts — epicureanvegan @ 9:35 am
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I want to dedicate this cake to Monet, of Apples and Anecdotes. She is one of those people everyone should know. I’ve never actually met her face-to-face, but I feel as though we could easily just sit down with mugs of tea, eat this delicious cake and never stop talking. Monet always has a kind word (or several, actually) for fellow food bloggers; always making others feel special, despite the hardships she herself faces. Last year, she nearly lost a nephew, Ryan, to drowning and who continues to suffer from the effects the accident caused. Now, she is faced with the possibly of losing her sister and brother-in-law injured in a car crash that killed another nephew of hers. Please visit Monet with your thoughts and kind words, as I know she’ll appreciates them and hopefully, have a brighter day in the wake of this tragedy.

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Apple Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 C flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C walnuts, chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored, and shredded

1/2 C Earth Balance

1 C sugar

3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 Tbs water

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 C vanilla almond milk

Crumb topping

1/4 C sugar

1/8 C flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbs Earth Balance

Icing, optional

1/4 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla almond milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and walnuts.

In another bowl, beat the margarine, sugar, vanilla, and egg-replacer mixture until smooth. Pour the margarine mixture into the dry ingredients and combine well with a spoon. Stir in the apples and almond milk. Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan. To make the crumb topping, combine all the ingredients with a fork and sprinkle on top of the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan. Mix together the powdered sugar and almond milk to form icing and drizzle over the top. You can wait until it completely cools, or when it’s still warm. Have a seat with someone you love and cherish, and enjoy this cake together.

 

Guest Post: Banana Blueberry Muffins March 29, 2011

Filed under: Breads,Guest Bloggers — epicureanvegan @ 8:22 am
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Today, I’m bringing you a recipe from Patricia Stoltey, a delightful friend, writer, and fellow critique group member . We’re both original members of the Raintree Writers, formed in 2003, which continues to meet every two weeks.  Pat has two published mystery novels, The Prairie Grass Murders and The Desert Hedge Murders, both excellent reads with fun and quirky characters. You can visit Pat at her blog and see why I call her “Bad Ass Pat.” In the meantime, check out her yummy vegan muffins that she kindly took the time to share with us.

I can’t leave a recipe alone, no matter how good it is.

The first time I made these Mountain Biker’s Banana Muffins from the Simply Colorado: Nutritious Recipes for Busy People cookbook by the Colorado Dietetic Association, I thought they were delicious. But I couldn’t help it. I tinkered with the recipe until I made it mine.

If you find a copy of the original, you’ll see I changed the balance of whole wheat flour to white, replaced the skim milk with soymilk, and ditched the raisins (which I don’t really like) for blueberries. Here’s how it goes:

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Pat’s Variation on Mountain Biker’s Banana (Blueberry) Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 c. sugar (or slightly less)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. flour

1 c. whole wheat flour (I use high altitude flour in Colorado)

1/3 c. oil

1/4 c. soymilk

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. blueberries (I use frozen berries to keep the batter from turning totally blue)

Cooking Spray

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375⁰. Measure sugar, baking soda, salt and flours into bowl. Add oil, soymilk, bananas and vanilla; mix just until flour is moistened. Gently fold in frozen blueberries. Fill standard size muffin cups coated with cooking spray to 2/3 full with batter. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Because of the frozen berries, it’s best to test the center of the muffins with a toothpick to make certain muffins are done all the way through. Immediately tilt the muffins in the cups or remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

Although I have to tell you, at my house muffins tend to disappear from the pan minutes after they’re removed from the oven. I was lucky to get this photo.

Looks delicious, Pat. :)   Thanks for sharing your recipe with us!

 

Tetrazzini March 28, 2011

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 4:52 pm
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Holy mackerel, Andy! (as my father used to say) This is another winner from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. It’s cheezy, tasty, and creamy comfort food that I guarantee you’ll love. Not only that, it’s simple to make. The recipe also gives you ideas to add more protein such as 1-3/4 C chickpeas, 1/2 lb smoked or seasoned cubed tofu, cubed tempeh, or seitan. I went with a couple of sliced Tofurky hot dogs—Field Roast sausages would also be a great option. The recipe makes enough to feed a crowd of 6-8, so it’s great for get togethers. I highly recommend making the Parmezano Sprinkles for this, too—they add the perfect topping.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb spaghetti, broken in half

2 Tbs olive oil

4 C thinly sliced mushrooms

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 C flour

4 C nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 C nutritional yeast flakes

1 Tbs onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C frozen peas, thawed (I left these out since I didn’t have any)

1/2 to a cup of Parmezano Sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile,  in a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the mushrooms and bell pepper until tender.

Combine the flour, 2 cups of the milk, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour over the mushroom mixture. Add the remaining 2 cups of milk. The recipe says to remove from heat, but I just turned it to low. This is when I added the Tofurky hot dogs, too. Constantly stir it as it will begin to thicken and bubble within a couple of minutes.

Combine it with the spaghetti.

Pour it into a lightly greased 4-quart baking dish, top with the Parmezano Sprinkles, and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

Feast On This! March 25, 2011

Filed under: Feast On This! — epicureanvegan @ 8:02 am
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Lately, I haven’t stuck to my Friday ritual of posting vegan related news and issues, but now I’m back, so feast on this:

The Humane Way

A friend recently sent me a link to Wayne Pacelle’s blog. He is the the President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and is dedicated to eliminating animal cruelty. I then noticed he is featured in the latest issue of Vegetarian Times, promoting his new book, The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them.

Pacelle, a vegan since 2004, hopes that his book will help people see “the instinctive connection we have with other animals.” The book comes out April 5th and I’m excited to grab a copy of it. On his website, check out a great opportunity for you to get involved by submitting a photo featuring you and your bond with an animal. Send it in by April 4th and you could be featured on TheHumaneSociety.org and have $1,000 donated in your name to a shelter.

Moe and I not only share a bond, but usually, we share a couch, too.

Messing with Nature?


Researchers at China Agricultural University have genetically modified 200 cows to produce “breast milk.” You can read about it HERE. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—it was bound to happen. The goal is to create the same antibodies that human milk contains and I can see it feeding children in poor countries, but could we trust it? What do you think?

Follow Me on Twitter!


Yes, I finally joined the masses and started tweeting. One thing I’ve learned is to not let the many anti-vegan tweets that pop up all the time irritate me—they just ain’t worth it! It’s been to connect with others and see what Twitterville is all about! Twitter.

“The Gods created certain kinds of beings to replenish our bodies; they are the trees and the plants and the seeds.”

-Plato

 

Bok Choy Skillet Supper March 24, 2011

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 6:12 pm
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Ok . . . way better than last night’s catastrophe. This recipe is in the latest issue of Vegetarian Times but I made just a couple of changes based on what I had at home. My only suggestion would be to steam the bok choy separately (defeating the purpose of a 0ne-pan meal) but I found that when I steamed them much longer than the recipe says and they still were crunchy, it’s worth using another pan. I love bok choy and I don’t cook with it nearly as much as I ought to. VT also informed that it is packed full of vitamin C, carotenoids, and phytonutrients that strengthen the immune system and may help reduce the risks of some cancers. What a bonus!

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp garlic-flavored olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

8-oz button mushrooms, sliced (I left them whole and used jarred)

8 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (I chopped one tomato as I somehow ended up with a ton)

2 shallots, finely chopped (1/4 C)

1 C bulgur (I used couscous)

1 C mushroom broth (I used vegetable broth)

1 sprig fresh thyme, plus 1 tsp  thyme leaves

4 small bok choy, halved

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 1 tsp  garlic oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add the mushroom and saute 5 minutes, or until browned.I added about 1/2 tsp of minced garlic as well.

Transfer to a bowl or plate. Add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes; add to the mushrooms. In the skillet, add the remaining 1 tsp of oil and stir in the shallots; saute 2-3 minutes. Stir in the couscous and thoroughly coat with oil. Add the broth, thyme sprig, and 1-1/2 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, stir, reduce heat to med-low, and cover for 5 minutes.

(If not steaming the bok choy separately) arrange the stalks on top of the couscous in a pinwheel fashion. (Gotta make it look pretty). Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Drizzle with the garlic oil. This dish is full of flavor and taste—not to mention vital nutrients. Enjoy!

 

Chai-Spiced Berry-Oatmeal Cookies = Redemption March 23, 2011

Filed under: Desserts — epicureanvegan @ 6:10 pm
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I am so relieved and happy that these cookies turned out. I found myself in a funk today. And apparently, it’s catching ’cause Moe looks to have it:

He probably smelled these amazing cookies and knew he couldn’t have any. Sorry, Moe. Anyway, missed my workout this morning and struggled some more with an essay I’ve been trying to write for the last four years. Yes, that’s four years. Then, to add insult to injury, dinner turned out to be a disaster. Awful. By far the worst results of anything I’ve attempted since the ill-fated red velvet cake nearly a year ago. I could have easily called it a night, but instead, I picked myself up by my bra straps and dusted my vegan-self off because I’ll be damned to go nighty-night after today. These are my Redemption Cookies. I swaggered into the kitchen and started pulling stuff out of the pantry, grabbed a bowl and got to work. One bite and not only did I feel the fog lift, I felt redeemed after that horrendous dinner. Talk about cookies for the soul.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-1/2 C rolled oats

1/2 C Earth Balance margarine

Egg Replacer (and water) for one egg

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

2 Tbs agave

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C fresh blueberries

1/2 C dried cherries, chopped (I think I’ll call them “cheeries” for this recipe)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg-replacer/water mix, agave, and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Little by little, add to the butter/sugar mixture. Fold in the blueberries and cherries.

Drop onto a baking sheet lined with foil. (For the first batch, I lightly sprayed the foil with cooking spray since I wasn’t sure if they’d stick, but just go with the foil).

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Let them cool a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack, then thoroughly enjoy. And feel better. And redeem yourself from any minor infractions you committed during the day. They are guarantee to turn things around for you. :) Makes 32-34 soul-good cookies.

 

Collard Green Wraps with Tahini-Umeboshi Sauce March 21, 2011

Filed under: Appetizers,Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 6:54 pm
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Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA lately. Life is quite busy these days, especially with my alter ego. For the last few days, the family has dined on easy things like spaghetti, veggie burgers, and canned soup. Looking into their Oliver Twist eyes, I knew I needed to make an effort with dinner. Thank goodness for Green Buffalo Foods—they delivered my box of veggie love this afternoon and I swooned at the beautiful collard greens I received.

You could easily make spring rolls using collard greens, or make them with rice instead of noodles, like I did. The ingredients can easily be varied with this recipe, so get creative! I liked using the collard greens because of their fabulous nutritional value and durability when rolling them up. I think next time though, I’ll steam them just a tiny bit before filling them up, rather then afterward—they may fare better.

INGREDIENTS:

12 collard green leaves, washed and patted dry

8-oz firm tofu

6-8 mushrooms, sliced

4 large green onions, sliced

1-15oz can Great Northern beans, drained

1 C long-grain rice, uncooked

2 tsp garlic, minced

1-2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Tahini-Umeboshi Sauce:

1/3 C tahini

2 tsp umeboshi paste

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbs tamari

2 Tbs water

2 Tbs almond milk

DIRECTIONS:

Combine rice with 1-1/2 cups of water. Bring to boil; stir and cover for 15 minutes, or until water has absorbed. You can also use jasmine scented rice, or arborio rice. Sushi rice would also be great. In the meantime, slice tofu into thin slices (julienned) saute in a dry skillet until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet. In its place, add the garlic and olive oil. Heat for a minute, then add the green onions and mushrooms. Saute until slightly browned and soft. Add the rice, beans, and tofu and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut the fat stem off of the collard green. Don’t cut off too much—just to where it starts to thin out and add 1-2 spoonfuls of the rice mixture onto the leaf.

Fold in the two “tails” of the collard green leaf:

Now fold the opposite side in:

Then roll from the bottom up and secure with a toothpick. Spear it through the stem, if you can. You’ll be left with a neatly rolled wrap:

I then placed them in a steamer basket and steamed them for just a few minutes.

You’ll probably have to do this in batches, so I recommend transferring them to a plate after steaming and covering with foil.

To make the sauce, whisk together all the ingredients and serve with the warm wraps. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Sweet Potato, Kale & Black Bean Fajitas March 16, 2011

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 5:11 pm
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I’mmmm baaaacckkk! And boy, does it feel good. I had an amazing conference experience that you can read about at Folsom’s 93 and then a fabulous respite up in the mountains where we got to spend time with some great friends and just relax. It was the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe from my friend at Tried and Tasted Recipes and it was absolutely delicious! I will be making this again and again. It makes quite a bit, as we fed about 8 and still had leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch cubes (I used 2)

2 red bell peppers, diced

1 large red onion, diced

10 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and roughly chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1-1/2 cans)

2 tsp ground cumin, divided (I recommend more)

1 tsp ancho chili powder (again, I suggest adding more)

Freshly ground salt and pepper

8 tortillas

Optional ingredients: Cilantro, Tofutti sour cream, vegan shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheeze, guacamole

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add 6 cloves of minced garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and peppers, and saute another 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 tsp of the cumin and the ancho chili powder. Turn to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

In a smaller saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and garlic. Add the beans and kale; stir once and cover for 2-3 minutes, or until the kale has cooked down. Season with the rest of the cumin and more salt and pepper.

Serve a scoop or two of each mixture onto warmed flour tortillas with Tofutti sour cream, cilantro, cheeze, and guacamole. You won’t be disappointed—they are outstanding!

 

Conference and Vacation! March 11, 2011

Filed under: My Vegan Life — epicureanvegan @ 7:37 am
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For the last few months, I have been part of the NCW’s Conference Creative Team—helping with all those fun details of a conference that my right brain just loves; none of the hard stuff like getting agents, editors, presenters, venue, etc. During all this, I also had to carve out time to fine tune my book proposal so that I can pitch to an agent on Saturday. Wish me luck!

 

Then the fam and I are off to the mountains for some well-earned time off!

The rest and relaxation will be short lived. When I get back on Wednesday, I’m going to have my work cut out for me. I was asked to be a preliminary judge for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest. I am super excited and looking forward to the task. By the time I get back, there ought to be close to 30 entries for me to judge! Whew!

Oh, and of course, I’ll be getting back to the food. I plan on trying a new meal during out snowy stay and I’ll post the results at the end of next week. So in the meantime, have a great weekend (and Spring Break) and catch up with all you soon!

 

 
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