Dinners Archives - Page 25 of 31

Pesto Pizza with Artichokes and Sun-dried Tomatoes

August 27, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is an easy pizza to make and will please even the non vegans–I guarantee. The recipe makes about 6 personal-sized pizzas so I tend to either refrigerate/freeze half the dough for another night, or make up all 6 pizzas for the next day’s lunch.

INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
2 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 pkg quick-rise dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
3/4 C hot tap water, divided
2 Tbs olive oil
The rest:
1-14oz can artichokes, chopped
6-oz jar sun-dried tomatoes, diced
8-oz vegan mozzarella, shredded
1-1/2 C pesto
Optional toppings: mushrooms, olives, spinach, roasted red peppers

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine yeast with 1/4 C of the hot tap water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flours, salt, and rosemary. Add yeast and olive oil to the flour mixture and combine, adding the remaining 1/2 C of hot tap water. You may need a little more. Once ingredients are thoroughly combined, place in a large greased bowl and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Punch the dough down and knead for 5 minutes. Divide into 6 sections; roll out each section and place on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Using a fork, stick each piece of dough several times. Bake for 4 minutes.

Spread each baked crust with a layer of pesto, then top with cheese, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Bake 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Tempeh and Peanut Stir-fry

August 25, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is another quick meal to make when you’re short on time. You can substitute the soba noodles with rice if you’d like and add other ingredients such as bamboo shoots or Chinese snow peas.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg tempeh, diced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 med zucchini, sliced then quartered
1 red bell pepper, cut into large pieces
1/2 a med onion, cut into large pieces
8-10 mushrooms, quartered
1/2 C lightly salted peanuts
12-14 oz soba noodles or 2 C cooked rice
Sauce:
1 Tbs cornstarch
1/8 C water
1/2 C shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce
1 tsp mirin
1/2 tsp brown rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp ginger
2 Tbs Hoisin sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. In the meantime, cook the noodles or rice. Add the zucchini, tempeh, onion, and bell pepper to the pan and saute for about 15 minutes. Drizzle with a little mirin. While these are cooking, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients, then whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce mixture. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook just a few minutes–I don’t like shriveled mushrooms, so I always add them last. Stir in the sauce and the peanuts and combine well. Let it simmer a couple of minutes, then serve on the noodles or rice. Enjoy!

Pasta with “Meat” Sauce

August 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

It really doesn’t get much easier than this, especially when you’re short on time to make dinner. It was my night to host writer’s group, so I needed something quick to whip up. I used Boca Crumbles, but Field Roast makes an Italian “sausage” that I think would work nicely as well.

INGREDIENTS:
14-16oz pasta, cooked
1 jar spaghetti or marinara sauce
1 bag Boca Meatless Crumbles (use as much as you want–depending on how “meaty” you want it)
Vegan mozzarella, shredded
Optional: 6-8 mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS:
I added the frozen Boca Crumbles directing into the pan with the sauce, warming them together. I also added some sliced mushrooms and simmered everything for about 10-15 minutes. Top pasta with the sauce and cheese and you’re done! This is a great combination of carbohydrates and protein and perfect for the night before a hike or activity when you need some extra umph. Even for my morning run, I tend to go further, longer. Never a bad thing. Enjoy!

Quinoa Wraps

August 18, 2010 by epicureanvegan

My favorite vegan restaurant, Tasty Harmony, makes the best quinoa wraps and I wanted to duplicate it at home. I think I did a pretty good job, but theirs are just plain awesome and hard to totally copy. You can serve these warm or cold and ordinarily I would use whole wheat wraps, but I didn’t have any. I served these with a spinach salad and it made a quick and healthy meal (especially after all those cupcakes)! They are also ideal to pack for a picnic–don’t forget, quinoa is a great source of protein!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C quinoa
1 avocado, diced
1/2 pkg baked tofu, such as from Westsoy, diced
1 plum tomato, diced
Sandwich wraps
Caesar dressing:
1 Tbs Vegenaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp vegan Worchestershire sauce
1/4 C olive oil
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Add quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low for 20 minutes. If you want a cold wrap, make this earlier and keep refrigerated. If you’re in a rush, place pan of quinoa in a sink of cold water. To make dressing: Whisk together all ingredients. Pile on the quinoa, avocado, baked tofu, and tomato onto a wrap and drizzle with the dressing. Enjoy!

Spinach and Pesto Lasagna

August 13, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Oh, man. Have you ever made it to vegan food nirvana? Well, this lasagna will take you there. Of course, you’ll have to come back, but you can always go back for seconds. It looked so good as I assembled it, I wanted to eat it right then and there. I used my previous pesto recipe as well as my “ricotta” cheese recipe that I use for the stuffed shells and vegetable lasagna. To make things easier, I made those earlier in the day. I also decided to use regular lasagna noodles instead of the no-boil variety, and I was a little weary, but not only were they easy to use, we preferred them over the no-boil ones. I just cooked them very al dente since they will continue to cook later in the oven.

INGREDIENTS:
Sauce:
3 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
2 shallots, minced
1/4 C all purpose flour
2-1/2 C almond milk
1/2 C white wine
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs vegan Parmesan cheese
2 portobellos, diced
“Ricotta Cheese”:
1-14oz pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/3 C nutritional yeast
1 C fresh basil leaves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 to 3/4 C vegan mozzarella, shredded
Pesto:
2-1/2 C fresh basil leaves
1/2 C parsley
1 C pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 C lemon juice
1/3 C olive oil
3 Tbs vegan Parmesan cheese
The rest:
2-1/2 C vegan mozzarella, shredded
4-5 C baby spinach
12 lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS:
I recommend making the “ricotta” mixture and pesto earlier. To make pesto, combine the basil leaves, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and process until well combine and smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To make the tofu mixture, combine all ingredients except the mozzarella cheese in a food processor. Process until smooth and then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the cheese and again, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350.

Boil the noodles until al dente–don’t have to cook them like regular pasta. While these are boiling, start the sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the margarine over medium to high heat. Add the shallots and saute for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the flour and white wine. Add the almond milk and lower heat; cook until it begins to thicken, stirring often. Add salt, portobellos, and Parmesan cheese.

Spread a ladle full of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Make sure you rinse the noodles with water to keep them separated—you may have to do this a few times throughout the process. Layer 3 noodles on the bottom of the pan, on top of the sauce. Next, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the tofu mixture onto each noodle. Do the same with the pesto. Then add a later of spinach, then sprinkle on some cheese.

Top with 3 more noodles and then another 1-2 ladles of sauce on top. Repeat layers 2 more times and then top with remaining 3 noodles, the rest of the sauce, and the cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes. For the last 5-7 minutes of baking, you can remove the foil and continue baking in order to melt the cheese on top. Let sit a couple of minutes before slicing up. Next stop: vegan food nirvana.

Enjoy!

Quick Szechuan Stir-Fry

August 12, 2010 by epicureanvegan

CAUTION: this can get hot very quickly—that is, when I make it. I tend to get a little heavy handed with the hot spices, much to the dismay of the rest of family. Once again, I put a little too much heat on this stir-fry, earning a few glares from the Husband and 6th Grader. They agreed that it was really tasty and liked the udon noodles a lot, but the numb lips interfered a little. Next time I’ll go easy on the szechuan sauce.

INGREDIENTS:
1-8oz pkg Koyo Organic round udon noodles
1/4-1/2 C szechuan sauce like San-J brand
1/4-1/3 C tamari sauce
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1″ pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 small summer squash, cut into small pieces
1 can sliced water chestnuts
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
4-5 green onions, sliced
Toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Cook noodles according to package instructions (they take about 7-8 minutes). Heat olive oil and garlic in a skillet. Add bell pepper, water chestnuts, and squash; saute for about 15 minutes, or until softened. Add mushrooms, green onions, tamari, and szechuan sauce. I’d start with about a 1/4 cup of the szechuan sauce and go from there. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, then add the cooked noodles to the pan and stir to combine everything. Top with sesame seeds. Depending on how hot you make it, serve it with a hankie to wipe the brow! Enjoy!

Sauteed Tofu with Shallots, Almond and Amaretto

August 6, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This recipe, from Vegan Planet, was certainly yummy, but it struck us as more of a breakfast than a dinner meal. The tofu had a pancake-like texture and the amaretto gave it a sweet, syrup-y taste. It was delicious, but I could see serving it for breakfast or brunch, rather than dinner.

INGREDIENTS:
1-16 oz (I used 14 oz) pkg extra firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1/4″ thick slices
1/4 C all purpose flour
Salt and black pepper
3 Tbs olive oil
4 shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2 C vegetable broth
1/4 C amaretto or other other almond-flavored liqueur
1/2 C slivered almonds, toasted
1 Tbs minced fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Dredge the tofu in the flour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook until brown on both sides, 2-4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet, transfer to a plate; set aside.

Add the shallots to the skillet, cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and liqueur and heat almost to boiling. Reduce the heat to low, return the tofu to the pan, add the almonds and parsley, and simmer to infuse the tofu with the flavor of the sauce and heat through.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

August 3, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Yep, they are as good as they look! They are also simple to make and you can either grill them or bake them in the oven. I went the oven route as I was afraid they’d fall apart on the grill. These go great with the cole slaw that I made earlier today, which can also be easily thrown together while the burgers are baking.

INGREDIENTS:
1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp egg replacer powder
1 C cooked brown rice (1/2 cup dried with 1/2 cup water)
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs cumin
2 tsp garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/8-1/4 C bread crumbs
Hamburger buns
Optional ingredients: sliced avocado, sliced tomato, iceberg lettuce, Tofutti cheese slices

DIRECTIONS:
If using the oven, preheat it to 375, otherwise, heat the grill. Also, this is a good time to get the brown rice cooking—I used the instant stuff. In a medium bowl, mash the black beans. (I find that a pastry blender works great for this). Mash them up as much as you’d like—I prefer to have some chunkiness to the burger, so I don’t go overboard with the mashing.

In a food processor, combine the green pepper, onion, and garlic. Just pulse it a couple of times, otherwise it’ll turn soupy and you don’t want that! Add to the black beans and mix in. Then add the cooked rice, egg replacer, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Stir well to combine.

Shape into patties. (I got 5 large patties). If using the oven, place patties on a baking sheet lined with greased foil.

Bake about 12-15 minutes on each side. If grilling, cook about 8-10 minutes per side over medium heat.If using cheese, add slice for the last minute of baking, or until it melts a bit.

Top with your favorite burger ingredients and enjoy!

Broccoli Almond Sweet-and-Sour Tofu

July 19, 2010 by epicureanvegan

There is definitely a method to this recipe and I learned that there are easier ways to make this dish than what the original recipe instructs. I also doubled the sauce recipe because I tend to wish I had done that with other sauces from this cookbook (Vegan Yum Yum). I’m glad I did because not only is the sauce delicious, it was made the tofu gooey with yumminess.

INGREDIENTS:
1 14-oz package extra firm tofu, drained
2 tsp egg replacer, plus 4 teaspoons water, mixed (I had to make a little more)
1/4 C cornstarch (Again, I needed a tad more)
1/4 C canola oil
1/2 C sliced almonds
1-2 cups steamed broccoli (I used 2 heads of broccoli)
Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Sweet and Sour Sauce: (recipe below is doubled)
6-1/2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 C plus 2 Tbs water (I left this out for a thicker sauce)
4 Tbs plus 4 tsp sugar
4 Tbs tamari
4 tsp ketchup
2 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 Tbs cornstarch, plus 2 Tbs water, mixed (I didn’t double this–didn’t need to)

DIRECTIONS:
Slice the tofu into triangles or cubes. Toss the tofu with the end replacer/water mixture until coated . I would use a large ziploc bag–much easier than a bowl. Then toss in cornstarch. Again, I recommend using a ziplock bag for this and coat each piece thoroughly.

I would then make the sauce. You can also make it while frying the tofu, but I found it hard to do both at the same time. To make the sauce: In a small saucepan, mix rice vinegar, water (if using), sugar, tamari, ketchup, molasses, ginger powder, and salt and whisk over medium heat until the sugar and salt is dissolved. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens.

Place the tofu in the hot oil—you can do all at once, or in batches. I transferred pieces to a plate lined with paper towels. Fry for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add the almonds right before removing the tofu. (I did this after I drained the oil first). I then combined the tofu, sauce, and almonds in a large bowl and stirred to thoroughly coat the tofu. I served over rice and the steamed broccoli and topped with toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe source: Vegan Yum Yum

Breaded Tofu with Lemony Tomato Sauce

July 15, 2010 by epicureanvegan

If you liked chicken Parmesan before you were “enlightened” and became a vegan, I think you’ll love this recipe. I really wasn’t sure what to make for dinner tonight but I had tofu and diced tomatoes, so I winged it. The Husband and Sixth Grader informed me that this meal is a “make again” and I have to agree—it was yummy, no to mention easy—a good combo.

INGREDIENTS:
1-14oz tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 8 slices
1 packet Shake n’ Bake
1/2 C vegetable broth
1 C vegan mozzarella, Vegan Rella
Sauce:
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-14.5 oz diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 C fresh chopped basil
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1 tsp lemon zest (then slice lemon into 8 slices)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400.

For sauce: In a small saucepan, heat garlic in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add tomatoes, basil, rosemary, oregano, onion powder, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, dip each slice of tofu into the vegetable broth, cover with Shake n’ Bake, then place into a 13×9″ dish. Top each with a lemon slice.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. It will basically look the same way coming out of the oven as it did going in, but the outside crust of the tofu will be crusty and crispy. The lemon slices will look a bit dried out, too. Remove the lemon slices before serving with the sauce and some very yummy vegan mozzarella.

Vegan Rella (they don’t seem to have a website) is excellent soy-free vegan mozzarella—very impressed with it. It’s a little slimy when you first open it, but it shreds nicely and tastes great! Enjoy!