epicureanvegan, Author at Epicurean Vegan

Breaded Seitan Nuggets

May 28, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Kids will love these! These resemble chicken nuggets, just not with the uh. . .nasty chicken odds and ends and in betweens. I served these with vegan ranch and BBQ sauce. So delish! And don’t worry about not getting protein. Per serving, seitan has 18-22 grams of protein and .5 grams of saturated fat—now when it comes to giving these to my family, I think that’s pretty important!

INGREDIENTS:
2-8oz pkg chicken-style seitan, broken into chunks
2/3 C nutritional yeast
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 Tbs tamari
Vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine nutritional yeast, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. Dip seitan in tamari, then in the yeast and spice mixture. Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry seitan in batches until browned on all sides—this happens pretty fast, so keep on eye on them. Enjoy!

Recipe source: All Recipes

“Bacon” Wrapped Roasted Asparagus

May 28, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I usually don’t mind putting a little work into a dish, especially when I know it’s worth it. These take about 15 minutes or so to prepare, but you won’t be sorry. There are a few different ways to secure the “bacon” to the asparagus: I broke toothpicks in half and secured each end of the bacon strip to the asparagus stalk. You can also wrap the bacon just around the middle and secure it once. Lastly, you can also use bamboo skewers through the middle to secure. Either way, they’ll make the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg Smart Deli Bacon
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400. Slice each bacon slice in two, lengthwise. Wrap around each asparagus slice and secure with toothpicks. Place on a foil-lined, lightly oiled baking sheet.

Brush with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Balsamic Strawberries

May 28, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Wow, talk about a smorgasbord of flavors! I was very intrigued when I saw the recipe—balsamic vinegar, sugar and pepper, so I had to try it. These are delicious by themselves, but spooned over some soy vanilla ice cream is absolutely to die for!! Great as a quick summertime dessert.

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz fresh strawberries, halved or quartered lengthwise
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sugar. Stir gently with a rubber spatula to combine. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour, but not more than 4 hours. Just before serving, grind pepper over berries. Enjoy!

Recipe source: The Vegan Table

Feast On This!

May 28, 2010 by epicureanvegan

“I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan!”

Who knew that Doritos makes a vegan tortilla chip?!

In fact, you might be surprised that several products in grocery stores are actually vegan. There were lots of products that I often avoided, assuming they weren’t vegan, but man, was I shocked. Duncan Hines actually has 3 vegan frostings! Ok, so not all the food is considered healthy, but if you think you have to knock yourself out looking for a vegan cracker, well. . . forget about it! Crack open a box of Ritz–not an animal product to be found on their ingredient list. PETA has compiled lists and lists of products available at your local grocery store (no trip to Whole Foods required) that are actually vegan. Even several varieties of Jell-O Instant Pudding are vegan. Who woudda thunk?

The site has lists for: breakfast foods, beverages, snacks, condiments, baked goods, refrigerated/frozen foods, baking and staples. They are also constantly adding products to the lists.

Remember, dark chocolate is vegan! So you can load up on Ghiradelli Twilight Delight Intense Dark!

How About A Dog and A Beer?

Like airport travel (see last week’s post), enjoying a vegan meal at the game is virtuously impossible. You’re usually stuck with either popcorn, peanuts and cotton candy. Blech! Well, things could be changing at a stadium near you, thanks to Johanna McCoy, founder of Soy Happy, an organization that encourages stadium venues around the country to offer meat-free options. They even have a list of stadiums that now offer meat-free options, and are constantly updating it. It looks like right now, baseball stadiums are the the only sports venues they have “enlightened”, but are working towards others like NHL, NBA, etc., as well as theme parks and other attractions. Thanks Johanna!

Hooray for Animal Sanctuaries!

VegNews brings you Chester, the big piggie, and his little friend, Emma Sue, who were rescued from slaughter. They enjoy walks on the beach, pina coladas. . .ok, well not exactly, more like walks in the woods and peanut butter sandwiches. It always great to see animals get a second chance and thrive–thanks to amazing people who make it happen.There is also a list of other successful animal sanctuaries to read up on, find one near you, and donate! It’s not cheap keeping these farms running, especially when there are so many animals to save.

(Photo courtesy of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary in Deer Trail, CO)

Think of the fierce energy concentrated in an acorn! You bury it in the ground, and it explodes into an oak! Bury a sheep, and nothing happens but decay.

–George Bernard Shaw

Easy, Creamy Pasta Salad

May 26, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Like the title says, this pasta salad is easy and creamy, but also packed full of flavors. With summer quickly approaching, there are so many options for fresh veggies that would be perfect to add like cherry tomatoes and avocados.

INGREDIENTS:
14-oz pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
3 large green onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced (use any variety–I used orange, but a red one would be great for color and presentation)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs fresh chives, chopped
1/4 tsp dill
1/2 C vegan cheddar, diced or shredded (The Daiya wedges would be IDEAL to chop up into tiny dice–like the Havarti style)
2/3 C Tofutti sour cream
1/3 C Veganaise
1 Tbs spicy brown mustard
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Meanwhile, combine green onion, bell pepper, celery, parsley, and chives in a small bowl. In a large bowl (large enough to hold everything and serve in) combine sour cream, Veganaise, mustard, dill, white pepper, vegan cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour in drained pasta and veggies and stir to combine–it’s that easy! Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Product Review: Dr. Cow Vegan Cheese

May 24, 2010 by epicureanvegan

So I found some vegan cheese that is pretty darn good! It’s called Dr. Cow’s Tree Nut Cheese and here is what the company has to say about their product:

“Our cheese is made from 100% raw, organic nuts. First we carefully select the nuts and seeds, then we mix the raw nuts with our own home-made acidophilus and a little royal pink himalayan salt (one of the best salts available in the market!).Thus we have made nut curd by applying the same procedures for making traditional dairy-based cheese! Our cheeses are made with absolutely no preservatives, stabilizers, artificial ingredients or additives of any kind. 100% dairy free, no gluten, no casein, no soy and lactose free, 100% organic and vegan!”

Unfortunately, it’s tough to get a hold of since it is only available in a few stores and can get pricey from online stores. Dr. Cow offers a 5-cheese sampler for a whopping $75, or you can buy just one or two from other places such as www.veganessentials.com. Here’s a link to where you can buy it.

I bought 2 from Vegan Essentials: the Aged Cashew and Hemp seed and the Aged Cashew and Dulse. $38 and 2 days later, I receieved my box of (2) 4oz cheeses. Yep. I paid $38 for two tiny things of “cheese” that were a lot smaller than I was expecting…but they were damn good! They do have a bit of a mayonaise taste, but otherwise, they’re very cheese-like. I only tried these two and I haven’t attempted to buy others–saving my pennies But you may find that you just can’t live without it and you may also be lucky enough to live near a store that sells it. The cheese I bought was $9.49 and $8.95 and I also had to buy a cold pack for $2.95 AND pay for 2-day shipping to ensure freshness. (My husband about killed me)!

Ingredients for the Aged Cashew and Hemp Seed variety: Cashew nuts, acidophilus, hemp seeds & himalayan pink salt

Ingredients for the Aged Cashew and Dulse: (not listed on their website)

For a great review of ALL of the varieties, check out this site.

Have you tried this “cheese”? What’s your opinion?

Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

May 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

You’re probably thinking. . .how many non-dairy mac and cheese recipes can there possibly be? Turns out, quite a few, but as most of us know, they’re not all that tasty. This one, however, from The Vegan Table, is the first cashew cheese sauce I’ve tried (but close to the Hurry Up Alfredo) and I really, really, love it. I ate way too much of it, too. 🙂 I’ve made some minor alternations such as less oil and milk. By the way, if you need to omit the miso because of a soy intolerance, you can use a chickpea (garbanzo) miso or a barley miso. Another alternative is to use tahini mixed with a bit of salt.

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/4 C raw cashews
1/2 C nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 to 2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp white pepper
3-1/2 C nondairy milk (I use 3 cups)
3 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 C canola oil (I use about a 1/4 cup and will often use olive oil instead)
1/4 C light (yellow or white) miso
2 Tbs lemon juice
12-16oz macaroni, cooked (I used about 16 ounces of both small shells and rotini)
I added 1-1/2 tsp of truffle oil, but it’s optional (I recommend it)!

DIRECTIONS:
Place cashews in a large-sized bowl of the food processor and finely grind–just don’t let the cashews turn to a paste. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse three more times to blend in spices.

In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, cornstarch and oil(s). Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease heat to low-medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until cornstarch dissolves.

With the food processor running, gradually add milk/oil mixture to cashew/nutritional yeast mixture. Blend for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Next blend in miso and lemon juice.

Combine cashew cheese with macaroni noodles and serve. You may also bake it: Preheat oven to 325 and place macaroni mixture in a 8 or 9″ square baking dish (I recommend a 9″x13″ one). Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with 1/2 C herbed bread crumbs. Continue baking, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes until topping is golden brown. (I’m going to do this with the leftovers)! Enjoy!

Recipe source: The Vegan Table

UPDATE: I baked the leftovers and it was good, but I think I like it better unbaked.

Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

This recipe, from The Vegan Table, is the first cashew cheese sauce I've tried and I really, really, love it. I ate way too much of it, too. 🙂 I've made some minor alternations such as less oil and milk. By the way, if you need to omit the miso because of a soy intolerance, you can use a chickpea (garbanzo) miso or a barley miso. Another alternative is to use tahini mixed with a bit of salt.

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1-1/4 C raw cashews
½ C nutritional yeast
2 tsp onion powder
1 to 2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp white pepper
3-1/2 C nondairy milk (I use 3 cups)
3 Tbs cornstarch
½ C canola oil (I use about a ¼ cup and will often use olive oil instead)
¼ C light (yellow or white) miso
2 Tbs lemon juice
12-16oz macaroni, cooked (I used about 16 ounces of both small shells and rotini)
I added 1-1/2 tsp of truffle oil, but it's optional (I recommend it)!

Directions

Place cashews in a large-sized bowl of the food processor and finely grind--just don't let the cashews turn to a paste. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, and white pepper. Pulse three more times to blend in spices.
In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, cornstarch and oil(s). Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease heat to low-medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until cornstarch dissolves.
With the food processor running, gradually add milk/oil mixture to cashew/nutritional yeast mixture. Blend for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Next blend in miso and lemon juice.
Combine cashew cheese with macaroni noodles and serve.
You may also bake it (I prefer this unbaked) Preheat oven to 325 and place macaroni mixture in a 8 or 9" square baking dish (I recommend a 9"x13" one). Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with ½ C herbed bread crumbs. Continue baking, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes until topping is golden brown. (I'm going to do this with the leftovers)! Enjoy!
Recipe from The Vegan Table

Asian-Inspired Lettuce Wraps

May 21, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This meal reminds me of Thanksgiving—lots of prep and then devoured in ten minutes! Not that the prep time took all day–more like 20 minutes, just lots of chopping. The recipe is from The Vegan Table cookbook, but I made a few minor alterations and added some ingredients. Despite the prep work, I’ll make these again and again.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbs water, divided
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs finely grated or minced ginger
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (I used 1/2 of one)
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 pkg (16-oz) extra-firm tofu (I used just a 14-oz pkg)
1 Tbs chili paste
2 Tbs light brown sugar
2 Tbs light miso paste
2 tsp sesame seeds
10 Boston bibb or butter lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry
10 basil leaves (I accidentally left these out)
2 small cucumbers, peeled and julienned (I found that one was plenty)
Optional ingredients:
1 can bamboo shoots, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
5 mushrooms, diced (these also make up for the 2 ounces of tofu I didn’t use)
Drizzle sauce:
1/2 C soy sauce
1-2 Tbs rice vinegar

Light miso paste

Chili paste

DIRECTIONS:
Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes, until they softened. Add red pepper and carrot and cook another minute. This is where I added the bamboo shoots. Meanwhile, crumble the tofu in a separate bowl until pretty small–like bread crumbs (I diced it up ). Add to pan and cook for 10 minutes, thoroughly combining with vegetables (this is also where I added the mushrooms and green onions).

Add chili paste and stir to combine. To make sauce (not the drizzle sauce) place brown sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan and dissolve over low-medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in miso paste and sesame seeds. Add to tofu mixture and combine well.

To make sauce: combine soy sauce and rice vinegar. To make wraps: trim edges of lettuce leaves to make them uniformly circular. Add a basil leaf and a julienned cucumber to each “cup”, add tofu mixture and drizzle with soy sauce/rice vinegar sauce. Enjoy!

Feast On This!

May 21, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Pile On the Sauerkraut! Really!

9 healthy condiments you should stock up on

Who knew heart health, brain power and cancer prevention could come out of your refrigerator and pantry?!

Ketchup: Thanks to Lycopene, this condiment has shown to slow the process of atherosclerosis. But try to stick with organic varieties since they have up to 60% more as well as Vitamin A, C, and E. Dose: 3-4 Tbs/daily

Buckwheat Honey: Like blueberries, buckwheat honey contains the most antioxidants which protect cells from free radicals and may reduce the risk of cancer, macular degeneration, heart disease, and cognitive decline. Dose: 2-4 Tbs/daily

Rosemary: Antioxidants in this herb are said to minimize, if not eliminate carcinogens formed when cooking some foods. Tell your meat-eating friends (first, stop eating meat) but if they won’t, then at least season beef with rosemary before grilling because it can reduce cancer-causing substances called heterocyclic amines by 30-100%! Scientists also found that by adding rosemary to dough reduced the affects (30-100%) of acrylamide, a potentially carcinogenic compound that forms in carb-rich foods when heated above 250 degrees. Dose: 1-2 Tbs/daily

Horseradish: It beats broccoli! Well…it contains 10 times more glucosinolates (compounds in the roots and leaves of the horseradish plant) than broccoli. These compounds can increase your liver’s ability to detoxify carcinogens and can possibly suppress the growth of existing tumors. Dose: 1/4 tsp/daily

Olive Oil: This omega-9 rich oil is converted during digestion to oleoylethanolamide (OEA), a hormone that helps keep brain cells healthy. Dose: A few Tbs/daily

Cinnamon: Just a 1/2 a tsp can help reduce stabilize blood sugar levels. It enhances insulin sensitivity, allowing you to use more of the glucose in your blood, keeping the levels stable. That’s good news for diabetics—it could mean needing less insulin. Dose: 1 tsp/daily

Hot Sauce: To curb your appetite, try a few dashes on just one meal. Capsaicin, the compound that gives hot sauce and chili peppers their heat reduces levels of hunger-causing ghrelin but also raises GLP-1, an appetite-suppressing hormone. Dose: A few dashes/daily

Sauerkraut: For those with IBS, sauerkraut can help! It contains probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus plantarum that can reduce gas, stomach distension, and discomfort. Dose: 1/2 C/daily

Black Pepper: Piperine, a compound in black pepper, may help interrupt the self-renewing process of cancer-initiating stem cells. Dose: To taste/daily

Source: Prevention

Find A Vegan Joint Near You!

Traveling can be tough for us vegans. In fact, there is only a small percentage of airports that offer vegan or even vegetarian options. Well. . . pack snacks. But when you get to where you going, check out Urban Spoon, a site devoted to restaurants and reviews from cities all over the country. Find the city you’re in and it’ll give you a list of vegan-friendly restaurants and directions! How cool is that?! They also have a free app for the iphone!

Check out VeganSoapBox for a list of other vegan iphone apps

“I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized.”

-Henry David Thoreau

Vegetable Panini with Pesto

May 19, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This was certainly a learning experience seeing as this is the first time I used my new panini maker. (Try Cuisinart’s Griddler –it was only $50 at Bed Bath & Beyond–and be sure to use their 20% off coupons to save even more–thought it was good deal and I really like this panini maker). So here’s my tip (which you probably can already guess…) slice everything super-duper thin, otherwise, you’ll have way too much spillage (see my pic). Live and learn. Anyway, I can’t wait to try out other ingredients–even a dessert variety! (Stay tuned). . .

INGREDIENTS:
1 large loaf of ciabatta bread will give you about 4 sandwiches:

But try flat bread, or any other kind of thick bread you want
Remember . . . slice very thin:
Red bell pepper
Roasted red peppers
AvocadoMushrooms
Red onion
Tomato
Vegan mozzarella
Other stuff:
Basil pesto, jarred or homemade
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Lightly brush the outside of each slice of bread with the oil. Pile on the veggies in an order that makes sense to you then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and add the salt and pepper. On the other slice of bread, spread on the pesto and then top the sandwich with it. Place in the panini maker and press down. Obviously, you can easily make these sandwiches on the stove or even on the grill–just don’t overload them with stuff—they’ll be too hard to flip over.

Other combinations:
Portobello mushrooms with vegan mozzarella, pesto and roasted red peppers
Roasted zucchini with pesto, roasted red peppers and muchrooms
Smart Deli Turkey with vegan cheese, horseradish, tomato and avocado
The ideas are pretty endless—you can’t go wrong with your favorite ingredients!
Great served with sweet potato fries:

Breaded Seitan Nuggets

“Bacon” Wrapped Roasted Asparagus

Balsamic Strawberries

Feast On This!

“I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan!”

How About A Dog and A Beer?

Hooray for Animal Sanctuaries!

Easy, Creamy Pasta Salad

Product Review: Dr. Cow Vegan Cheese

Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

Recipe source: The Vegan Table

Asian-Inspired Lettuce Wraps

Feast On This!

Pile On the Sauerkraut! Really!

Find A Vegan Joint Near You!

Vegetable Panini with Pesto

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