Epicurean Vegan

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Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars

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Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars -- Epicurean VeganThese are delicious! And simple to make-taking only about 10 mins to prepare. These would be great with a scoop of soy ice cream or a dallop of vanilla soy yogurt on top. These also taste great after being the fridge for a while–they’re a tasty snack that will keep you going when you’re on the run.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup rolled oats, either quick cooking or old fashioned
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed natural brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup expeller pressed canola oil
5 tablespoons orange juice, divided
1/2 cup fruit sweetened black cherry preserves

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine oats, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, sunflower seeds and cherries in a large bowl. Add oil and 3 tablespoons orange juice, mixing well until all ingredients are fully combined. Reserve a half cup and press the rest into a lightly oiled 8-by-8-inch baking pan.

Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars -- Epicurean VeganMix the remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice with the cherry preserves and spread evenly over the oat mixture in the pan.

Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars -- Epicurean VeganSprinkle reserved oat mixture over the top and press down lightly with fingers.

Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars -- Epicurean VeganBake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool in the pan on a wire rack then cut into bars or squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Sunflower Cherry Oatmeal Bars -- Epicurean VeganRecipe source: Whole Foods

Pesto Potato Bread

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Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean VeganI can’t tell you how much I LOVE this bread. I’ve made it several times now and it goes great with pasta, soups–pretty much anything, even just for a snack. It smells wonderful, too as it bakes. I’ve never been very good at making yeast breads, but this one always turns out, however, adequate warmth for the bread to rise is crucial. The best place is on the stove top of your oven with your oven on warm. For me, that doesn’t work because my oven is mounted in the wall with the microwave mounted above it. I have found that if my dishwasher happens to be running, the counter top above it gets nice and warm, too. I settled for a sunny spot on the kitchen table.  I also took lots of pictures of the process…and please note, this recipe makes 2 of these beautiful loaves!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C plain soy milk
1 C leftover mashed potatoes
3 Tbs vegan pesto
1 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 C warm water
4 C all-purpose flour (or you can use bread flour), or more if needed

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, heat the soy milk until hot but not boiling. Stir in potatoes, pesto, oil, salt and sugar, stirring until well mixed.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean Vegan(Soy milk mixture and yeast mixture)
Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, combine the yeast and water, stirring to dissolve the yeast. Let the mixture stand for 10 mins then stir it into the potato mixture. Add about 1/2 of the flour, stirring to combine. Work in the remaining flour to form a soft dough, then transfer to a lightly floured surface.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean VeganAdd up to 1/2 C of additional flour, if needed.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 8 mins, using additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean VeganPlace the dough in a large (use a pretty large bowl) lightly oiled, turning the dough to coat with oil.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean VeganCover w/plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Test dough by poking it with your finger. It is ready if the indentation from your finger remains.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean Vegan(After first rising)
Lightly oil a large baking sheet and set it aside. Punch down the dough and turn it out into a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 mins. Divide the dough in half (use a sharp knife), shape into two round loaves and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean VeganCover again with clean plastic wrap or dish towel and let rise for another 45-60 mins.

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean Vegan(After 2nd rising)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover dough and use a sharp knife to cut 1 diagonal slash in the top of each loaf. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 mins. (I think they came out perfect at about 22-23 mins, but every oven is different). The bread is done if it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. (I didn’t do this–seemed a bit too much to do to a piping hot loaf of bread). Cool on a wire rack for 30 mins before slicing. (I waited about 15-20 mins and it was so yummy warm)!

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean Vegan

Pesto Potato Bread -- Epicurean VeganRecipe source: 1000 Vegan Recipes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins -- Epicurean VeganIsn’t it pretty? They’re very yummy, too. The lemon flavor is subtle and not over powering–which is good, too, so if you want a bit more lemon flavor, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and more lemon zest. Also notice that the 1/4 C of butter (Earth or Smart Balance) needs to be melted and then cooled, so I recommend doing this step first so it has time to cool down. The recipe makes 10 small muffins, but I decided to make 6 large muffins. I haven’t tried this recipe as a bread loaf, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. The recipe does suggest that if you like fresh ginger, substitute the poppy seeds with 3 tablespoons of peeled, grated fresh ginger. Another variation would be to add about a cup of dried or fresh blueberries or strawberries.

Also, I thought it would be delicious to prepare a lemon or raspberry glaze to drizzle on top….1 cup icing sugar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or raspberry flavoring), dash of dairy-free milk for drizzle consistency.

INGREDIENTS:
2 C flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C sugar
2 Tbs poppyseeds
2 large eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
1 C rice or soy milk ( I used soy milk–I find it cooks better because it’s thicker)
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 C margarine, melted and cooled (Again, I used Earth Balance sticks)
2 Tbs chopped lemon zest (from 3-4 lemons, but I got that much from just 2)

DIRECTIONS:
Position the oven rack in the center and preheat to 400. Coat muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and poppyseeds. Mix together with a whisk until blended. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, soy milk, lemon juice, margarine and zest until well blended. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined, taking care not to overmix the batter. It should look lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full. Any cups that are not filled with batter should be filled halfway with water to allow for even baking. Bake muffins until golden brown adn tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 mins. Let cool for about ten minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack and cool completely. Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins -- Epicurean VeganRecipe source: Recipes for Dairy-Free Living

A New Take on Guac

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A New Take on Guac -- Epicurean VeganI wanted to spice up some old favorites. I love the different flavors in this guacamole and chances are, you have all the ingredients already. The idea came from Whole Foods, but I made some variations.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Med ripe avocados
1/2 C diced water chestnuts
1/2 red onion, diced small
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp hot sesame pepper oil
2 Tbs minced fresh cilantro leaves
3 Tbs lime juice
Sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Mash up the avocados and then add all the other ingredients. Mix well and enjoy!

Like my other guacamole recipe, I like to use a pastry blender to mash the avocados. It works beautifully, even when the avocados aren’t quite ripe enough.

Tempeh Spread

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Tempeh Spread -- Epicurean VeganI spent one day experimenting with tempeh for quick and easy appetizers and I love what I came up with! It’s also very versatile, so feel free to add your favorite other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz pkg tempeh, original
1 small carrot, grated
1 small red onion, diced
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
2 Tbs vegetable stock powder
1/4 C Veganaise
Parsley, garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Cut the tempeh into small cubes and steam for about 10-15 mins. In the meantime, add carrots and onion to a food processor and chop up until they are very fine. Scoop out into a large bowl. Add the steamed tempeh to the food processor and chop up until fine as well. Combine the tempeh in the bowl with the carrots and onions and add the lemon juice, celery salt, curry powder, vegetable stock powder and mayo. Mix well. Scoop into pre-made phyllo shells and garnish with some parsley.

I halved the batch and after chopping up about a cup of mushrooms and 1/2 C of spinach leaves in the food processor, I added them to one half of the batch for a variation. They’re both delicious! You may want to add more spices to taste. Enjoy!

Tempeh Spread -- Epicurean Vegan

Christmas Bourbon Balls

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Christmas Bourbon Balls -- Epicurean VeganWho said Christmas cookies had to be sweet and innocent? And…who said you just had to make these at Christmas? Well…I just tend to make them that time of year. Keep them away from the kiddies though, but chances are, they won’t like the flavor of them as much as us adults! They’re also non bake, so they’re pretty easy.

INGREDIENTS:
1 C finely crushed vanilla wafers, about 26
1 C plus 1/2 C powdered sugar
2/3 C walnuts, chopped
1/2 C candied cherries, chopped
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
5 Tbs Bourbon
1 Tbs water
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS:
In a mixing bowl combine crushed vanilla wafers, the 1 cup powdered sugar, walnuts, candied cherries and cocoa powder. Stir in bourbon, water and light corn syrup until well mixed. Chill the mixture about 30-60 minutes. Shape the mixture into 1″ balls. Place in an airtight container; let balls stand (ripen) for 2-3 days. Before serving, roll them in the additional 1/2 C powdered sugar. Makes about 24 balls.

English Muffin and Avocado Delight

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English Muffin and Avocado Delight -- Epicurean VeganI’m really not sure what to call this–“delight” is really an understatement. I needed a snack that was fresh and flavorful, so I scoured my kitchen for ideas. I had avocados that I was needing to make something with and voila! And idea was born…The avocado paired beautifully with the roasted red pepper and balsamic vinegar. Plus, ot was so easy to throw together.

INGREDIENTS:
1 English muffin, sliced in half and toasted
1 small tomato, sliced or for even more flavor, a slice of roasted red pepper
1 small avocado, sliced
1-1/2 tsp hummus
Balsamic vinegar
Spinach leaves, optional

DIRECTIONS:
Spread hummus evenly on both slices of English muffin. Top with a tomato slice and 2-3 avocado slices. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. It’s that easy! My tastebuds were loving me! Enjoy!

Hurry Up Alfredo

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Hurry Up Alfredo -- Epicurean VeganThis comes from Lauren Ulm’s cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum and is by far the best non-dairy “cheese” sauce I’ve tasted yet! The only thing I changed was adding 1/2 C Tofutti sour cream which made this sauce perfectly creamy!

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 C small pasta
Sauce:
1 C soy milk
1/3 rounded raw, unsalted cashews
1/4 C nutritional yeast
3 Tbs tamari (or soy sauce)
2 Tbs Earth Balance (or Smart Balance) margarine
1 Tbs tahini
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
Black pepper, to taste
2-4 garlic cloves
I added 1/2C Tofutti Sour Cream and used SMOKED paprika and WOW! It was so creamy and flavorful!

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add noodles. Cook until tender, but not mushy. Meanwhile, to make sauce, mix all sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. When noodles are finished, drain and return to pot. Add as much sauce as you’d like and heat and stir. (What I did is transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and heat–this is also when I added the Tofutti sour cream. Then I just ladled the sauce on a serving of pasta). Top with Rice Parmesan and enjoy!

Note: for leftovers, I don’t recommend microwaving them. Keep sauce separate from pasta leftovers and reheat sauce in a pan over the stove and nuke the noodles. Sauce gets too dried out otherwise.

Hurry Up Alfredo -- Epicurean Vegan

Recipe source: Vegan Yum Yum

Queso is Back!!

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Queso is Back!! -- Epicurean VeganFinally! I have found a queso I can eat!! You’d never know this is dairy-free! It makes about 4 cups, so it’s perfect for a get together.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 C minced onion (I just chopped them really fine)
1/4 C oat flour or finely ground old fashioned oats ( I ground the oats)
2 Tbs Tahini
1/2 nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 C soy milk
1 tsp maple syrup
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies, drained (I diced up half a large Anaheim pepper)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oat flour, tahini, nutritional yeast, soy milk and maple syrup. Stir in the tomatoes and mix well. Lower heat and cook, stirring constantly. When mixture starts to bubble, add the chilies, chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne and salt. Continue to cook, stirring for about 10 mins. Stir in lemon juice. The recipe recommends adding more soy milk if it is too thick, but I added 1/2C Tofutti sour cream, because, well, I just love that stuff and it made it very creamy and delish! I also transferred it to my electric fondue pot to keep warm. Love it! Hope you enjoy it!

Queso is Back!! -- Epicurean VeganRecipe Source: 1000 Vegan Recipes

Grilled Portobellos with Rosemary-Roasted Vegetables

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Grilled Portobellos with Rosemary-Roasted Vegetables -- Epicurean VeganThe great thing about portobello mushrooms (besides their great flavor) is that they’re so versatile and can be grilled, baked, sauteed–you name it. I added balsamic vinegar and burgundy wine to this recipe, but you can certainly leave them out–I just find that both of those go beautifully with mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large red onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped (a little more would have been good)
1/3 C olive oil (I used a 1/4 cup + 1-2 Tbs)
2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh rosemary or other herb leaves (I would increased this to at least 3 Tbs)
Salt and pepper, ground
1 large tomato, chopped
4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1/4C balsamic vinegar (optional)
1/8-1/4C Burgundy wine (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 and heat your grill (if using).  In a large bowl, combine the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, 1/4 C of olive oil, the rosemary and salt and pepper to taste. (I added the balsamic vinegar here).Toss to coat the veggies with oil, then spread them in a single layer in a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 25 mins. (18-20 mins was perfect). Reduce oven temperature to 275. Add the tomatoes to the roasted vegetables, stirring to combine and return to the oven to keep warm. (I just turned the oven off and it stayed plenty warm in the oven for the tomatoes). Brush the mushrooms with the remaining olive oil and grill until tender and lightly charred on the outside, about 5 mins per side. (At this point, seeing as it’s in the single digits here in Colorado, I decided not to brave the snow-piled deck to do some bakyard grilling. I opted to lightly saute the ‘shrooms in the Burgundy wine). To serve, arrange the portobello caps gill side down and top with the roasted veggies. (I served them gill side up and filled them with the veggies). They were delicious! I’m sure grilling would add a whole new flavor, so that it why I chose the wine to give it a bit more jazz.I served these with the Tarragon Pasta Salad and together, they make a great meal, especially for the coming spring and summer. But beware, if you’re not used to eating that amount of veggies in one sitting (namely, my husband) don’t go to a 2 1/2 hour movie afterwards…poor guy. Luckily, veggie gas tends to be less offensive. Otherwise, eat up and enjoy!

Grilled Portobellos with Rosemary-Roasted Vegetables -- Epicurean VeganRecipe source: Vegan Planet

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