Epicurean Vegan

Healthy eating for discriminating palates

Gluten-Free Tetrazzini-Stuffed Peppers March 28, 2012

Filed under: Desserts — epicureanvegan @ 2:57 pm
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The Seventh Grader wanted spaghetti for dinner; I wanted stuffed peppers. We compromised, which turned out to be a very delicious compromise! You’ll only need 4-5 ounces of spaghetti to fill 6 halves of peppers, but I used 8 ounces and had some leftover tetrazzini for a future lunch. Otherwise, I find 3 ounces of dry pasta, useless. I made these gluten-free by using quinoa pasta, and rice flour, but feel free to use any variety you’d like.

INGREDIENTS:

8-oz quinoa spaghetti

3 bell peppers, cut in half, stems removed and cleaned out

1 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1/4 C onion, diced

1/3 C rice flour

2 C almond milk

1/4 C nutritional yeast

1 Tbs onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 C panko

Daiya cheese, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375. Break the spaghetti into thirds and cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic. Add the onion and zucchini; cook until softened.

In a blender, combine the rice flour, half of the almond milk, nutritional yeast, and seasonings. Blend until smooth. Add the sauce to the veggies and over low to medium heat, stir, adding the rest of the almond milk. This should only take a few minutes.

I used kitchen scissors to cut the drained spaghetti a bit more, then added it to the sauce. Combine well.

If you’d like, sprinkle some Daiya cheese in the bottoms of the peppers, then stuff with the spaghetti mixture. Top with some panko, then cover with foil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy! 

 

More Fun with Ramen March 20, 2012

Filed under: Appetizers — epicureanvegan @ 3:37 pm
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You may remember that The Seventh Grader likes to experiment in the kitchen, particularly using ramen noodles. Recently, he came up with a new creation: Ramen Nests. After cooking the noodles, he sprayed a muffin tin with cooking spray and divided the noodles into four nests. After baking for a few minutes, he then added some chopped spinach, Daiya cheese, and his own array of spices such as garlic salt and pepper. He then baked them a bit more. They were quite delicious! What a cheap appetizer! (4 nests for about $0.20)  Such a culinary genius! ;-)

 

A Welcomed Getaway March 19, 2012

Filed under: My Vegan Life — epicureanvegan @ 8:32 am
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It’s been a whirlwind week and a half, hence, my absence from posting. The Seventh Grader had to have his appendix out, then proceeded to follow it up with three ER visits, then two nights in hospital due to complications from surgery. Luckily, he’s doing great, but it did change our spring break plans of snowboarding. Not a big deal. We ended up going anyway since we were all in desperate need of a getaway. We stayed in this great little studio apartment in Nederland, CO, just 15 miles from the ski resort (not that that mattered). This was our favorite spot to hang out:

The apartment is just around to the left of the house.

I brought up way too much food (as usual) but we didn’t have time to check out the restaurants in town. I made a batch of VegNews’ Mac n’ Cheese and salad.

We ventured into town the second day and came across First Street Pub and Grill.

 

We checked out the menu posted outside and saw lots of vegan options including the Vegan Supreme Pizza. We were hooked. I decided to fudge on my no-wheat rule and order the pizza.

It was delicious! It had tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and pine nuts. The only thing I thought it lacked was some type of sauce. They had hummus listed on their menu for an appetizer and I think hummus would have been a great addition to this pizza, or at least a tomato sauce. Otherwise, it was quite good. The Seventh Grader went with a vegetarian calzone:

And The Husband went with the portobello sandwich:

We also spent one day in Boulder which was only thirty minutes away. We were experiencing a little heatwave and enjoyed the 75 degree day! Of course, we stopped at the Dushanbe Teahouse for a late breakfast.  I had the Teahouse Garden Wrap, minus the goat cheese.

Excellent!

It wasn’t the spring break we expected, but it turned out amazing!

 

Vegan Scalloped Yams and Zucchini March 10, 2012

Filed under: Dinners,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 2:07 pm
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I found myself with several yams and sometimes, I don’t always know what to do with them. So why not scalloped potatoes? I threw in some zucchini and onions, and topped it with some Daiya and panko. Delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

2 large yams, peeled and sliced thin

1 small onion

1 medium zucchini, sliced, then quartered

1 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp garlic, minced

2-1/2 Tbs arrowroot

1/4 C nutritional yeast

2 C almond milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced

1/4 C panko

Daiya cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Boil the yams in a large soup pot for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic. Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until softened. Add the seasonings.

Whisk together the milk, arrowroot, and nutritional yeast. Pour it into the skillet with the onions and zucchini. Stir continuously until the sauce begins to thicken.

Layer half of the yams into an 8″ baking dish. Pour half of the onion mixture on top and spread evenly around. Layer on the rest of the yams, then the mixture. Top with some cheese.

Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the panko and bake another 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Gluten & Soy-Free Pizza with Caramelized Onions March 6, 2012

Filed under: Dinners — epicureanvegan @ 4:52 pm
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Crash Test Vegetarian posted a pizza recipe with caramelized onions. It took me back because we used to always put caramelized onions on our pizza, along with toasted walnuts and (at the time) Gorgonzola cheese. Oh, how things have changed!  It got me craving our old pizza recipe. I decided to change things up though with other ingredients, but those onions were a must!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Dough Mix (see my earlier review)

1 large onion, sliced into strips

2 Tbs olive oil

1/4 to 1/3 C balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sugar

Toppings: sliced mushrooms, torn spinach, tomato slices, Daiya cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the crust according to package instructions (it will need to rise for 20 minutes). To caramelize the onions, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until they tenderize and start to turn brown.

Drizzle balsamic vinegar and sugar on the onions, and combine thoroughly. Cook until brown and shriveled.

Layer your toppings on the prepared pizza crust (Bob’s Red Mill makes (2) 12″ or (1) 16″). Bake for 15-18 minutes. Enjoy!

 

Win a copy of Peas and Thank You! March 4, 2012

Filed under: My Vegan Life — epicureanvegan @ 11:08 am
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My good friend Carolyn at Hooked and Happy is giving away another copy of Peas and Thank You. Head over to her great blog and enter to win this fabulous vegan cookbook! Good luck!

 

Quick and Easy Lunch: Chunky Chickpeas and Rice March 3, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Product Reviews — epicureanvegan @ 9:57 am
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Not eating wheat, it can be tough not being able to make a quick sandwich. Scouring the pantry, I found Chunky Chickpeas from Tasty Bite.

We’ve taken these camping because they’re so easy—just pour into a pan and heat. At home, you can heat the packet in the microwave for 90 seconds. In this case, I decided to combine the chickpeas with some cooked rice and diced mushrooms. So easy! During the last few minutes of cooking the rice, throw in some mushrooms. Then heat the chickpeas in the microwave (according to the package instructions) and stir into the rice. Voila. Lunch is served.

The ingredients in the packet are simple: water, chickpeas, onions, sunflower oil, garlic, ginger, coriander, salt, cumin, and spices. There’s even 9 grams of protein per 1/2 a packet. I don’t remember how much the packets are, but I know they’re just over $3. (The Bombay Potatoes variety is awesome)!

 

Chili Stew March 2, 2012

Filed under: Soups — epicureanvegan @ 12:18 pm
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The weather has been a bit cold and windy these days, and last night was no exception. On nights like that, a hearty soup or stew hits the spot. I threw in tons of different things in this chili and I think this one is my favorite version so far. It’s also great to scoop onto tortilla chips. I had three avocados I planned on dicing up to top the chili, but each one was bad! Total bummer. Crash Test Vegetarian used olives and roasted red peppers in her chili recipe, so I owe her a big thanks for the idea!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs olive oil

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2 C of barley is a good substitute)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained

4 C low-sodium vegetable broth

2 C water

1 6-oz can black olives, sliced

1 small can tomato paste

3 jarred roasted red peppers, diced

1/8 C lime juice

2-3 Tbs Ancho chili powder

1-1/2 Tbs cumin

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

4-5 green onions, sliced

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Optional: Daiya cheese, diced avocado, Tofutti sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large soup pot. Add the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until tender. Add the broth, water, potatoes, tomatoes, black beans, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are slightly tender, about 20 minutes. Add the seasonings, roasted red peppers, olives, and lime juice. Simmer another 15-20 minutes and stir in the lime juice. Sprinkle servings with green onion, cilantro, cheese, and sour cream, if desired. Enjoy!

 

Chickpea Salad February 28, 2012

Filed under: Lunches,Sides — epicureanvegan @ 5:23 pm
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I got this recipe from Luminous Vegans who called it “Chick-Peace Salad.” Great name—I didn’t want to steal it, so mine’s just plain old Chickpea Salad. Regardless of the name, it’s a delicious vegan version of tuna salad. LV added crumbled up nori to the mix to give it that tuna taste, but I didn’t have any. I still think it had amazing flavor without it. I did add some carrots and parsley. Just because. I also used Earth Balance’s vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free mayo that my good friend, Angela of The Veracious Vegan turned me on to. It’s fabulous!

I also served the salad on Food For Life’s brown rice tortillas.

I have to say, they’re ok. Heated up, they’re better, but you have to eat it fast before it gets crispy and falls apart. I’m wondering if steaming them would be better, or make it worse. The taste is chewy, but crunchy at the same time. Is that possible? Apparently so. Anyway, they’re not horrible, but they made eating this sandwich a bit tough because they tend to crack and split.

INGREDIENTS:

1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1-2 Tbs fresh dill, chopped

2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

2 Tbs vegan mayo

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1-1/2 tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Veggies, crackers, tortilla, etc

DIRECTIONS:

Mash the chickpeas. I used a pastry blender. You can also pulse them in the food processor.

Stir in all of the other ingredients and combine well. I layered the salad on some lettuce inside one of the tortillas and added some sliced cucumber and tomato.

This salad would also be great on crackers, or sliced veggies. Enjoy!

 

Vegan & Soy-Free Ricotta Cheese February 27, 2012

Filed under: Dinners,Dressings/Condiments — epicureanvegan @ 8:28 am
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I am so excited to share this recipe with all of you! Having to give up soy is a little less traumatic now that I’ve come up with a delicious soy-free ricotta cheese. After I made the switch from no wheat and no soy, The Seventh Grader wanted stuffed shells. Of course. And . . . like the power of suggestion, I wanted stuffed shells in the worst way. So I couldn’t use my go-to riotta cheese, nor use regular jumbo shells. Thankfully, I found these “Grand Shells” from Tinkyada.

The ingredients are simple: brown rice, rice bran, and water. They’re a little smaller than the typical flour-based jumbo shells . . .

. . . but it’s not a big deal. They also don’t fold over like regular shells do either. Again, no biggie. Also, cooking these are a bit different. Bring water to a boil, add the shells and cook 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the shells sit for 20 minutes. The shells definitely aren’t mushy like some brown rice pasta can be. In fact, they’re pretty al dente—almost too much. If you want them a little softer, I’d leave them for 25-30 minutes. Overall, very impressive! I thought they were delicious.

So onto the ricotta. This recipe makes quite a bit—great for a big pan of lasagna. Feel free to half it for a small portion, otherwise, it makes almost 4 cups.

INGREDIENTS:

1 C blanched almonds

1 C cashews

1 C cold water

1/8 C olive oil

3-4 Tbs lemon juice

1/3 C nutritional yeast

1 C fresh basil

1 Tbs fresh rosemary

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/3 C Daiya cheese,  Mozzarella flavored

DIRECTIONS:

I threw the cashews in a bowl of water while I blanched the almonds. Soaking the nuts are not necessary, unless you have the time and want a really smooth ricotta. Add them to the food processor.

Add the water, oil, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. This may take a few minutes to get it real smooth, especially if you opt not to soak the nuts overnight, which I did not. It just depends on your preference. I happen to like the nutty texture.

Next, add the basil, rosemary, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Blend until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese.

I had some jumbo shells as well as tofu-ricotta in the freezer, so for the guys, I made them regular stuffed shells. Since I don’t have celiac disease and not concerned with cross-contamination, I combined both in the pan.

Layer on some sauce and Daiya cheese and you’re good to go. Bake covered for 25 minutes at 375.

Enjoy!

 

 
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