Dinners Archives - Page 27 of 31

Field Roast Marsala

May 13, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I’m in love with Field Roast. I’m in love with those who make this miracle “meat.”They seem to know a thing or two about being a vegan–they’re brilliant. This recipe is roughly the same as the Seitan Marsala but I made a couple of changes, like using brown rice flour instead of all purpose flour. Brown rice flour makes a more crispy texture and is naturally gluten-free.

INGREDIENTS:
1- 1 lb Celebration Field Roast
1/4 C brown rice flour
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 black pepper
1-1/2 C mushrooms, quartered
1/2 C sliced green onion
2 Tbs Earth Balance margarine
1/4 C vegetable broth (plus extra for thickening)
1/4 C Marsala or dry sherry
Cornstarch
Olive oil, for sauteing
(optional): 1 can quartered artichoke hearts

DIRECTIONS:
Slice the Field Roast into about 10 slices. Stir together flour, marjoram, salt and pepper. Lightly press Field Roast slices into flour mixture and cover all sides, gently shake off the excess. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the slices in the olive oil. Saute until brown on all sides–about 3 minutes or so. The roast is already cooked–its just a matter of heating it through and browning it. Remember, the brown rice flour will make it crispier.

Add the mushrooms, green onions, vegetable broth, Marsala or sherry and the margarine. Cook uncovered for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

This is where you may need to mix up about a tablespoon of cornstarch with a 1/4-1/2 cup of vegetable broth to thicken the sauce. Serve over rice or pilaf and enjoy!

Baked Mac and Cheese

May 12, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I made this recipe before and it was all right—I knew it had potential, so I made it again, but this time, I made a few changes and I really love how it turned out. The original recipe was just a little too dry for my taste but I’ll post that recipe with what changes I made. Overall, it’s a great basic recipe for vegan mac and cheese so it was easy to tweak.

INGREDIENTS:
5 C water, divided (I used more water…had to use more pasta)
3/4 C nutritional yeast
1/4 C pine nuts
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs fresh parsley
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbs soy sauce (I used 2 Tbs almond milk instead)
1 C uncooked pasta (This seemed way to little for the 4 servings it says it makes–I used 4 cups and didn’t even need to make more sauce)
3 Tbs olive oil
1/4 C flour
3/4 C breadcrumbs (I used about 1/8 of a cup)
I added 1/2 C Tofutti sour cream, 1/2 C shredded vegan cheddar cheese, and 1/2 tsp of turmeric.
(This is great vegan comfort food–especially considering we got snowed on again–it’s mid-May)!

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400. In a large pot, bring 5 cups of water to a boil (you’ll need more if using more pasta). While water is boiling, in a blender (or food processor) combine nutritional yeast, pine nuts, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, parsley, pepper, and turmeric until blended. Add remaining 1 cup of water and soy sauce (or almond milk) and blend. Add pasta to boiling water. In a large pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add flour and stir constantly to remove lumps. Pour in blended mixture and stir until a desired consistency is reached. (This actually happens pretty quick, so you could easily do this step after the pasta is already cooked). Remove from heat. (This is where I stirred in the sour cream and cheddar cheese). Strain pasta and pour into pan of cheesy sauce and stir to combine. Transfer to a oven-safe dish, top with breadcrumbs and bake 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe source: VegNews

Vegetable Chow Mein

May 10, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a pretty quick dish to throw together and served with some vegetable spring rolls, it makes the perfect meal. I used buckwheat soba and chow mein noodles from O’Hana House—fully cooked and vegan. They come with two 6-oz packages, so I combined one of each variety. They only boil for about 2 minutes and the leftover (unopened) packages will keep in the fridge for a while. Other ingredients to try: diced up tofu, celery, bell pepper, and/or cabbage.

INGREDIENTS:
12-oz buckwheat soba or chow mein noodles, fully cooked
4 Tbs soy sauce
3 tsp sesame seed oil
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp ginger root, grated
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 can bamboo shoots, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
1/2 C cashews, coarsely chopped
1/2 C snow peas, cut into 1/2″ pieces
3 green onions, sliced thin
3-4 mushrooms, diced
1 Tbs olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and ginger; set aside. In large skillet, heat oil and garlic over high heat for 1 minute. Add the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and snow peas for about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and green onions and cook another 4 minutes. In the meantime, boil the noodles according to package instructions–about 2 minutes. Add sauce and cashews to the skillet and mix well with the veggies. Drain the noodles and add to the skillet mixture, stirring well to combine. Enjoy!

Avocado & Cranberry Mustard Turkey Wraps with Sweet Potato Fries

May 5, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a simple and quick meal and I love the Cranberry-Mustard sauce–perfect for any sandwich or wrap.

INGREDIENTS:
Wraps:
1/2 C Dijon mustard
1/2 C cranberry sauce
6 wraps or tortillas
12 slices Smart Deli turkey
6 slices vegan chese
3 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced lengthwise (I think 1-2 avocados is plenty)
Salt to taste
Fries:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into fries
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
For the wraps:

Whisk together mustard and cranberry sauce. Warm the wraps briefly, then spread cranberry mustard sauce equally over the wraps. Then place 2 turkey slices on each wrap, a slice of cheese and top with avocado slices.

For the fries: Preheat the oven to 400. Whisk together the oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over potatoes and coat thoroughly. Place on a foil-lined pan and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Recipe source (wraps): Living Without

Portobello Tacos with Salsa Verde

May 4, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This recipe from Vegetarian Times serves 6–easily. The salsa verde–at least 10! It makes a lot of sauce, so next time I’ll probably halve the recipe for that. I also found the sauce a bit bland, so I added a bit more salt. The original recipe is for grilled portobellos, but I decided to saute them. These were very yummy and the marinade was simple and delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade:
1/3 C canola oil
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
Tacos:
6 large portobello mushroom caps
6-6″ soft corn tortillas (can easily get 12 tacos from this recipe–and I think I prefer flour tortillas)
2 avocados, sliced
2 C chopped tomatoes
3 C shredded cabbage
Vegan sour cream
Salsa Verde:
4 tomatillos, chopped (or 1 C canned)
1 large green bell pepper or poblano chili, roughly chopped (I used the bell pepper–may have been why I found it bland)
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs agave nectar
1-1/4 C canola oil
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
If using the grill, preheat grill for high heat.

To make marinade: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

To make tacos: Brush mushroom caps with marinade. Grill mushrooms 3-5 minutes per side. Cool until easy to handle, then slice into strips. (I actually poured the marinade in a zip lock bag and added the mushrooms, letting them marinate for about an hour. Then I sliced them and sauteed them in a large skillet for about 5 minutes).

To make salsa verde: Puree all ingredients in a food processor 1 minute or until smooth. Pour salsa over mushroom strips and let stand 10-15 minutes. (I just scooped a couple of tablespoons of the salsa into the taco). Lightly warm tortillas 15 seconds per side in a skillet or in grill.

Fill tortillas with sliced mushrooms, avocado slices, tomatoes, and cabbage. Top each with sour cream, if using. Enjoy!

Bowties with Homemade Lemony-Basil Pesto

May 2, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I love pesto–just not how oily the jarred variety can be. I wanted to create my own version with my favorite ingredients and with less oil. This pesto has a fresh, earthy taste that is nothing like the jarred stuff! If you want a little more oil, I suggest swirling the pasta in some olive oil before mixing in the pesto. This recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups and a little goes a long way, so a great way to store it, is freezing it in ice cube trays and using only one cube at a time. This would also be great for cold pasta salads.

INGREDIENTS:
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 pepper
1/8-1/4 C lemon juice (depending on how lemony you want it)
1/3 C olive oil
3 Tbs vegan Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:
In a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil and puree for about a minute. Add the pine nuts and process for another 30-45 seconds, then add the Parmesan cheese and process again to blend well. I sauteed some mushrooms and mixed in about a tablespoon of pesto with single servings of the pasta/mushroom mixture. Delicious!

Spinach and Tofu Calzones

April 26, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Now that’s a calzone!

I’ve noticed I’ve been making a lot of pasta/Italian dishes like the Stuffed Shells and Lasagna–no reason, really–perhaps the rainy weather is prompting cravings for comfort food…whatever the reason, I’m not complaining.

The spinach part of the recipe makes quite a hog of a calzone, so if you’re not into that, I recommend either halving the spinach/tofu mixture or doubling the dough recipe to make more calzone that can be stored in the fridge or freezer…or make smaller calzones–8 instead of 4. As the recipe stands, you could easily split one between two people. Add your favorite pizza toppings if you wish…I added mushrooms, olives (black, green or both), vegan mozzarella. Try Smart Deli ham with pineapple…you name it. I also warmed up 1/2 a jar of marinara sauce to pour on top–a must!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C cooked, chopped spinach, squeezed dry
4 oz soft silken tofu, drained
Salt and pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-16oz pkg. extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled (I use 14 oz since that’s all I had)
1 Tbs minced fresh basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
Optional: your favorite calzone/pizza toppings like mushrooms, olives, vegan ham, pineapple…
Optional: 1/2-1 C vegan mozzarella
Optional: 1/2 a jar of marinara sauce (Muir Glen Organics only has 4 grams of sugar–much less than my previous favorite–Newman’s Own)

1 recipe Traditional Pizza Dough (below):
1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 C warm water
2-1/4 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Pinch of sugar or natural sweetener
1 Tbs olive oil, plus more for spreading

DIRECTIONS:
To make dough: Place yeast in a small bowl. Add 1/4 C of the water and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. To make the dough in the food processor (like I did), combine the flour, salt, and sugar, pulsing to blend. With the machine running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube, along with the olive oil and as much of the remaining 1/2 water (I needed another 1/3 C in addition to the 1/2 C) as necessary to make the dough hold together. To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture, olive oil, and remaining 1/2 C water until well combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large oiled bowl. Spread a small amount of oil on top of the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Use immediately or store for up to 8 hours in the refrigerator or for 3-4 weeks in the freezer. Make sure it is tightly wrapped in plastic.

(I decided to store it in the fridge for about 45 minutes and it continued to rise…)

Anyway…

To make calzone: Preheat oven to 375. In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach, silken tofu, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and set aside.

(I recommend having the rest of the ingredients ready to go before proceeding). Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the firm tofu, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring , until any liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach mixture. Taste and adjust the seasonings, the set side to cool.

Punch the dough down and divide it in half (to make 4 calzones, divide into fourths). On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a 1/4″ thick circle. Divide the filling equally between the dough circles, leaving a 1″ border around the edge. (This is where I smooshed in fresh mushroom pieces, olives and a bit of vegan mozzarella).

Fold the empty half of the dough over the filling and press down along the edge with your fingers, then seal with a fork.

Place on a lightly oiled pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

If using, heat marinara over the stove and pour a ladle-full over the calzone. Top with a pinch or two of vegan mozzarella and enjoy!

Recipe source: Vegan Planet

Field Roast with Fresh Blueberry Sauce

April 25, 2010 by epicureanvegan

The original recipe uses pork, but a 1-lb vegan Field Roast was the perfect substitute. This was actually the first time I’ve tried this product and I was really impressed with it. (For $7, I sure hope so)! It was worth it.

(I used the one on the right) The “roast” has a pork-like texture and just a hint of actual pork taste. Made mostly of butternut squash, apples and mushrooms, it was delicious. One 4-oz serving has only 90 calories, no cholesterol, only 0.5 grams of saturated fat–and get this–there are 31 grams of protein per serving as well! I will definitely buy this particular product again and won’t hesitate to try their other products. The sauce itself is pretty easy to make and the flavor is very subtle–it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the roast and isn’t too sweet either–it’s just right.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Vegan Field Roast, sliced (about 6-7 slices), thawed
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2 Tbs white wine
2/3 C blueberry juice
1-2/3 C vegetable broth
3/4 C fresh blueberries
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs canola oil

DIRECTIONS:
Place roast slices in a large skillet with the canola oil. Lightly brown each side–won’t take much–about 3-4 minutes per side.

In a large saucepan, add sugar and about 1/8 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add rice vinegar when the sugar changes color. Boil again and add the white wine. Reduce to a syrup, then add the blueberry juice and reduce to half, about 4 minutes. Add broth and boil to desired consistency–you will probably need to mix the cornstarch with about 1/8-1/4 cup of water and then add to the sauce to thicken. Add blueberries and taste for seasoning. The sauce yields about 2 cups.

Serve the roast slices with a ladle full of sauce and enjoy!

Recipe source: Eat Canadian

Vegetable Lasagna

April 18, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This lasagna is delicious, simple and healthy! I used the same tofu mixture recipe as the Stuffed Shells and it was perfect for this meal. I used the no-boil lasagna noodles since they’re such a time saver–just make sure that every inch gets covered with sauce, otherwise, any bare spots won’t cook and will be crunchy.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbs olive oil
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2-1/2 C zucchini, sliced thin
2-1/2 C portobello mushrooms, sliced
2/3 C onion, chopped
1 14-oz pgk. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 jar marinara sauce, divided into thirds (I like Newman’s Own)
1/4-1/3 C nutritional yeast
1 C fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs lemon juice
8-oz vegan mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375.
To make tofu mixture: Add tofu, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice to a food processor and process well until the mixture resembles ricotta cheese. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onions, zucchini and mushrooms in the olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, just enough to soften them.
In a 15″ baking pan, line the bottom with 4 of the lasagna noodles. Top with half of the tofu mixture, half of vegetables, sprinkle with a layer of cheese and then 1/3 of the sauce.

Top with another 4 noodles, the other half of the tofu mixture and other half of veggies. Add another thin layer of cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Top with remaining 4 noodles, rest of sauce and rest of cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Vegan Enchiladas

April 16, 2010 by epicureanvegan

These were yummy and satisfying! I used stir-fry seitan, but you can use sliced portobello mushrooms or Boca Meatless Crumbles. To clear out the sinuses, puree some chilies in adobo sauce (comes in a 7-oz can) and mix in with the meat-of-choice. I used about 6 tablespoons and the Husband and Fifth Grader found it a little too fork-curling hot, so next time, I’ll use only 1-2 tablespoons–just depends on what you like.

INGREDIENTS:
16-oz seitan, sliced portobellos, or Boca Meatless Ground Crumbles
1/2 large onion, chopped
12 small flour or corn tortillas
2-1/2 C mix of vegan Monterey Jack cheese and vegan Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
Tofutti sour cream
1-2 avocados, diced
Fresh cilantro leaves
1 recipe enchiladas sauce:
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs flour
1/4 C chili powder
2 C vegetable broth
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 pkg. enchiladas spices or recipe (below):
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Start with the enchiladas sauce: Heat oil in a saucepan, stir in flour, then chili powder (if you need to make your own chili powder, combine 3 Tbs paprika, 1 Tbs cumin, 2 T oregano, 1 tsp cayenne, and 1/2 tsp garlic salt). Add vegetable broth, tomato paste, cumin and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375. Sautee meat-of-choice with some olive oil until browned. Whether you use seitan, portobellos or ground crumbles, they only take about 10 minutes. Stir in spices. Add onion last couple of minutes of sauteeing.

Spread about a 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 15″ baking pan. Fill each tortilla with about 3 tablespoons of meat mixture and 1-2 Tbs of cheese. Be sure to save about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of cheese to spread on the top. Fold each tortilla and place into the pan. Top with the rest of the enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes.

Serve hot and top with a dollop of Tofutti sour cream, avocados and cilantro.

Enjoy!