epicureanvegan, Author at Epicurean Vegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 23

November 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

No, those are not edible switch plates. This may be the most boring post ever, but I had an extremely busy day and didn’t have time to get a post together for the 23rd day of Vegan MoFo. Instead, my friend, Kerrie (who also happens to be my crafting sole mate) came over and we were in craft-haven, getting ready for a Holiday/Craft Mart coming up (benefiting a local writer’s studio. . .)

We did, however, munch on vegan fare as we worked: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cheddar and Rosemary Crackers, and my famous, quick lunch of a vegan chick patty with a Tofutti cheese slice and Vegenaise on a toasted English Muffin. Also good on it are tomato, lettuce and vegan ranch dressing.

Kerrie was adventurous to try it (and I think she liked it), but wasn’t too keen on the almond milk in her tea or latte. 🙁 Hey. . . she was open to trying it all and that’s a big step!

So I apologize for the lame post, but being the competitive person I am, I had to post something and not have ONE day—this far into Vegan MoFo—that I don’t post. (Yes, I will sleep better tonight). I know, so lame. Until tomorrow, enjoy our decoupaged delights:

Cheddar and Rosemary Crackers

November 22, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 22

Monet, at Anecdotes and Apples Cores, made some cheddar and rosemary biscuits that had me salivating! They also reminded me of an old recipe for crackers that I made a million years ago. I will however, try her recipe (and veganize it), but for now, enjoy some amazing crackers!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C vegan cheddar, shredded
3-ox Tofutti cream cheese
1/2 C Earth Balance margarine
1 tsp sweet red chili sauce
1-3/4 C flour
2 Tbs sesame seeds
4 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt, optional

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor (with the dough blade) combine the cheeses. Add the butter.

Add the chili sauce, then flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Once combined, add sesame seeds and rosemary.

Divide dough in half and roll out. Now, you can decide how big you want to roll them out. I wanted to make tiny nibblers, but you’re welcome to make larger crackers. Once you made that big decision, wrap in plastic wrap and chill. I stuck mine in the freezer for about 20-25 minutes, but if you have extra time, go ahead and just refrigerate them. Slice them as thick or as thin as you want. I find that somewhere between 1/8″ and 1/4″ is best.

Place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a smidge of salt, if desired.

Bake for about 10 minutes—just don’t let them get too browned. The bottoms will a little, but taken them out before the edges brown. Enjoy! (Thanks for the inspiration, Monet)!

Chipotle-Lime Pasta with a Cream Sauce and Avocado

November 21, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 21

I picked up some Pappardelle’s Whole Wheat Chipotle Lime pasta and since it has a bit of kick, I figured a cream sauce would be ideal to go with it. I also had an avocado on-the-verge of being tossed, so it all came together beautifully!

INGREDIENTS:
8-oz Chipotle Lime pasta
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbs Earth Balance margarine
2 Tbs flour
1 C almond milk
2 Tbs Vegan Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lime juice, plus a little more for thinning, if needed
1/2 C Tofutti sour cream
2 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
1/3 C fresh cilantro, chopped
5-6 mushrooms, diced
1 avocado, diced

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta 10-12 minutes, or until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat margarine and garlic. Whisk in the flour. Once the flour is thoroughly combined, whisk in the almond milk, then the sour cream and Parmesan. Stir in the lime juice, mushrooms, cilantro, and green onions. Add more lime juice, if needed.

Ladle the sauce over single servings of pasta and top with the diced avocado. Enjoy!

Vegan Jambalaya

November 20, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 20

This has always been a favorite with the fam and so when I looked at the Tofurky Kielbasa sausages in the fridge, I knew it was meant to be. I usually make biscuits to serve under the jambalaya, but I forgot, so I used some rosemary and sesame seed saltines. If you don’t have a lot of time, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are vegan and a quick option.

INGREDIENTS:
1-14 0z pkg (4 sausages), diced
2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes with juices
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped (I used a red onion, but any variety is fine)
1-1/2 C vegetable broth
1/2 C white wine
1/3 C fresh parsley, chopped
2 C white rice, cooked
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 Tbs olive oil
Cajun seasoning (1 tsp is fairly mild. For more of a kick, add more, a 1/4 tsp at a time)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste
Crackers or biscuits

DIRECTIONS:
In a large skillet, heat the oil and garlic. Add the bell pepper, onion and sausage. Saute about 10 minutes, or until the sausage begins to brown and the peppers and onion soften.

Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, combine the tomatoes and broth; bring to a simmer. Transfer the sausage mixture to the tomato mixture and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add the seasonings, parsley, and wine; simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the rice and enjoy!

Feast On This!

November 19, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 19

Friday sneaked up on me. Normally, I’m waiting for it, but I woke up and suddenly realized what day it was. I usually write my Feast On This post Thursday nights, so you’ll have to bear with me this a.m.; I haven’t had my cup-of-joe to get my Vegan MoJo on for Vegan MoFo yet. . . so here goes.

Gee . . .Another Recall

2,600 pounds of full-cooked, ready-to-~~barf~~-eat turkey breast was recalled in Texas because it may have been contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, a potentially deadly bacteria. Lovely. The four different products by the New Braunfels Smokehouse, were distributed nationwide and each has a UDSA Inspected mark on them. Way to go.

The FDA just made their third cheese recall of the month. In Washington state, several varieties of Del Bueno Mexican-Style cheese was found to also contain listeria.

Earlier this month, Gorgonzola cheese was recalled from Cosco stores because of E. coli.

It is absolutely staggering the amount of food recalls in the United States just this year—we only hear about some of them. People have gotten sick. People have died. Some people could still have these products at home, unaware of the recall. Check out an earlier post regarding recalls. Visit the Recall page of the FDA’s website for a comprehensive list of recalled products. With the amount of meat and dairy recalls that continue to pile up, why do Americans take the risk?

Fat=Taste?

(I try not to post dead animals on my blog, so here’s a fake dead animal)

What food do you consider to have more taste? Meat? Veggies? Dairy? Since going vegan, I have found for myself that food has so much more flavor and taste. I never was a huge meat-eater before and never understood that thrill people claim they get when eating a steak. Peter Springberg, MD, a fellow NCW member, wrote an interesting post the other day regarding fat, taste, and beef burgers, entitled Even More Fat for our Taste Buds. The post is based on a Wall Street Journal article about celebrity chefs’ quest to make the most expensive, fattiest, and tastiest burger. Two burgers were featured in the article, one costing $39, and another a whopping $60! I guess compared to the cost of a triple bypass, it’s nothing.

“If you knew how meat was made, you’d probably lose your lunch.”

-K.D. Lang

Tasty Harmony

November 18, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 18

Doesn’t that look wonderful! They are Asian Lettuce Wraps that my favorite restaurant makes (and they happen to be the only vegan restaurant in town). They are amazing! Tasty Harmony is a fabulous restaurant downtown that seems to always be packed when we go there. Thanks to them, I’ve discovered jackfruit tacos, sea vegetables, and an incredible nondairy raw key lime pie! I love to bring meat-eaters there because it’s impossible not to love their food!

Photo: Feasting Fort CollinsSo if you ever find yourself in Downtown Fort Collins, CO, hit up Tasty Harmony. If not, try my own version of Asian Lettuce Wraps.

Cashew Cheese Nachos

November 17, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 17

The Sixth Grader loves nachos and loves cashew cheese, so this is an ideal after-school snack for him. I still had some cashew cheese in the freezer, so I left it in the zip lock and placed it in some warm water for about 10 minutes. It’s best if it’s still a little frozen for grating it. I recommend using the microwave—at first I used the oven on a low broiler, but the chips were browning before the cheese was melting. Other ingredients to try: tomatoes, salsa, or refries.

INGREDIENTS:
Tortilla chips
Hard cashew cheese, shredded
Green onion, sliced
Black olives, sliced
Avocado, diced
Tofutti sour cream

DIRECTIONS:
I like to have a layer of chips, some cheese, then another layer of chips and the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle on the green onions and olives. Zap in the microwave for about a minute, then add the avocados and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Buttered Party Mix

November 16, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 16

So easy! And a great way to grab some protein. You can sub in pecans if you’d like—I’m just not a big fan. These are for an artist reception at the Northern Colorado Writers Association that is tonight. I’m also bringing my favorite hummus. The artist happens to be my mother-in-law, watercolorist-extraordinaire.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbs Earth Balance margarine, melted
1 Tbs garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayenne, or more for taste
1 C raw, unsalted cashews
1 C raw, unsalted walnuts
1 C raw, unsalted almonds
1/2 C sunflower seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300 and line a baking sheet with foil. In a medium bowl, combine the nuts, garlic salt and cayenne. Add the margarine and thoroughly combine. Layer onto the lined baking sheet and bake for about a half an hour. Stir and flip over the nuts. I know, that’s not easy, but you’ll be able to tell which side is which since the cooked side will be dry-looking. Bake another 20-30 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to an air tight container if not eating right away. Enjoy!

Vegan Gravy

November 15, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 15

Thanksgiving leftovers are a given. We had some Field Roast leftover, so I made some vegan gravy to go with it. Luckily, we had some Israeli Couscous left, so I heated that up, too. Everything was even better the second time!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 C vegetable broth + some for thinning
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions
4 mushrooms, diced small
1 Tbs Earth Balance margarine
1/4 C flour
1 tsp soy sauce
4 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp sage
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and add the garlic and green onions. In a large bowl, combine the broth and flour with a whisk; combine thoroughly. Add to the saucepan, along with the nutritional yeast, sage, salt, pepper, margarine, and soy sauce. Season with salt, pepper and heat to a boil. Add more broth, if needed and reduce heat once gravy is thickened. Ladle over a Field Roast slice and enjoy!

My First Vegan Thanksgiving

November 14, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan Mofo, Day 14

That’s right, Thanksgiving. No, you didn’t just skip a week and a half, we celebrated Thanksgiving early with The Husband’s side of the fam because they were going to be gone over T-Day. So for our first vegan Thanksgiving, I brought a Field Roast for the veg side of the table. I think I picked it up for sale for $17.99. It comes frozen, so all you have to do is thaw it in the fridge overnight and then bake it at 475 for 45 minutes.

It’s stuffed with hazelnuts and cranberries, wrapped in a flaky pastry dough. It tastes much like their Celebration roast, but I will say that it did need some kind of sauce or gravy. Otherwise, it was fantastic!! Loved it!

We had all the other trimmings, too (only veganized). My mother-in-law made some mashed potatoes without milk and butter for us, as well as some separate stuffing. The sweet potatoes were cooked to perfection with some brown sugar and I brought Israeli Couscous. We came, we drank, we ate, we napped.

INGREDIENTS: HAZELNUT CRANBERRY
ROAST: Filtered water, vital wheat gluten, expeller pressed safflower oil, cranberries, crystallized ginger (ginger, cane sugar), toasted hazelnuts, naturally flavored yeast extract, barley malt, organic wheat flour, dried apples (non-sulphured), granulated garlic, onion powder, ginger juice (ginger, citric acid), yellow pea flour, toasted sesame oil, lemon juice, sea salt, spices, irish moss (sea vegetable) extract, red wine, tomato paste, black pepper, garlic,
natural hickory smoke flavor with tortula yeast , rubbed sage, rosemary, natural liquid smoke and paprika.

PUFF PASTRY: Enriched wheat flour, water, expeller pressed palm oil and sea salt. Contains: Hazelnuts.