Vegan Archives - Page 14 of 22

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

More Hummus Varieties

April 24, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I love that hummus is so versatile and easy to make. It’s also cheaper to make your own than buying prepackaged hummus. Here are two other varieties that a friend introduced me to and please note, the picture shows just half what the recipe yields.

INGREDIENTS:
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
two 1-pound 3-ounce cans chick-peas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup well stirred tahini
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 C olive oil, or to taste
For Parsley and Garlic Hummus
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup parsley
1-2 garlic cloves, depending on taste
For Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
2-3 peppers from a can of roasted red pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil
Other variety would be adding black or kalamata olives…yum!

DIRECTIONS:
On a cutting board mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a food processor purée the chick-peas with the garlic paste, the tahini, the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, scraping down the sides, until the hummus is smooth and add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl.

The hummus should be a little thick in consistency, place half in a bowl and save for later for the roasted red pepper.

In the food processor, cleaned, purée the remaining 1/4 cup oil with the parsley and garlic until the oil is bright green and the parsley is minced transfer the parsley oil to a small jar. The hummus and the parsley oil may be made 3 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. If the consistency still seems too thick, add more warm water if needed.

Add the other half of the hummus in the food processor. Add two to three roasted red peppers and olive oil. If needed added more water.

Serve with crackers, veggies, on sandwiches as a spread and a million other ways.

Recipe source: Kitchen Challengers

Product Review: Tofutti Cuties–Cookies ‘N Cream

April 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Delicious. That’s about it.

Ok, so here’s the low-down: 1 cutie is 130 calories with 6 grams of fat. So not the healthiest, but c’mon, it’s fake ice cream! And when you’re a vegan, tasty fake ice cream is like striking gold.

Completely dairy-free, these ice cream sandwiches come in several flavors: Cookies ‘N Cream, Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Key Lime, Wild Berry, Coffee Break, Strawberry Wave, and Very Vanilla (I guess the other vanilla is just sort of vanilla).

Here’s a list of ingredients: water, sugar, corn syrup solids, contains one or more of the following oils: (Corn, soy, coconut, and palm), soy protein, tofu, cocoa butter, vanilla, crunch (unbleached wheat flour, cocoa sugar), soy lecithin, guar seed gum, carrageenan, carob bean gum, salt.

Wafer ingredients: unbleached wheat flour, sugar, caramel color, soybean oil, yellow corn flour, cocoa processed with alkali, modified corn starch, salt, baking soda, vegetable mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin.

They are the perfect sized dessert–at least for me (and kids)–and taste sweet, but not overly sweet. Compared to the ice cream sandwiches I had as a kid, these taste identical, if not better!

Check out Tofutti’s site for more info.

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!

Sesame Noodles With Tofu Steaks

April 13, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This recipe has so many of my favorite ingredients: tofu, sesame and bok choy. It’s a hands-on meal from start to finish, but it definitely isn’t complicated. The tofu is wonderful and the recipe for it would be perfect for tofu sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 12 equal slices
7 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed, canola or sunflower
3/4 pound udon or soba noodles
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
1 pound baby bok choy, rinsed well but not trimmed
1 scallion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, and keep the water at a boil while you prepare the tofu.
Lay the tofu slices on one half of a clean cloth towel. Fold the other half over the tofu and gently press down to extract any excess moisture. ( I pressed the whole block, then sliced it)
Place 6 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the mirin, honey, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Warm a large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the neutral oil. Let it heat for 30 seconds. Add the tofu and fry until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the pieces over, pour on the soy mixture, and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened, another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until done. Drain the noodles, and transfer them to a large bowl.

Add the sesame seeds, sesame oil, and remaining soy sauce, tossing the pasta to blend well. Return the pot to high heat and add the bok choy and 1 cup of water. Cover the pot and steam until the bok choy is crisp-tender and bright green, about 2 minutes.

Serve the noodles topped with greens and tofu, sprinkled with scallions. For some crunch, I suggest sprinkling chopped peanuts on top. Enjoy!

Recipe source: Peter Berley

Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, and keep the water at a boil while you prepare the tofu.
Lay the tofu slices on one half of a clean cloth towel. Fold the other half over the tofu and gently press down to extract any excess moisture.
Place 6 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the mirin, honey, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Warm a large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the neutral oil. Let it heat for 30 seconds. Add the tofu and fry until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the pieces over, pour on the soy mixture, and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened, another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until done. Drain the noodles, and transfer them to a large bowl.
Add the sesame seeds, sesame oil, and remaining soy sauce, tossing the pasta to blend well. Return the pot to high heat and add the bok choy and 1 cup of water. Cover the pot and steam until the bok choy is crisp-tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Serve the noodles topped with greens and tofu, sprinkled with scallions.

Product Review: Smart Deli Baked Ham Style

April 12, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I love it when I can find a tasty meat alternative that when you compare the nutritional facts to regular meat, the veggie comes out on top! I had always been a bit skittish around fake deli meats, thinking they were going to smell and taste like my dog’s rubber chew toys. I finally took the big step a while back and tried Lightlife’s Smart Deli Baked Ham and it’s quickly landed a spot on my weekly grocery list.

One 5.5 oz box will run you about $3.40 and give you 12 slices. They taste much like deli ham, but less salty. Sandwiched between two pieces of whole wheat bread, I layered on some Veganaise, 3 slices of these “veggie protein slices”, spinach, a couple of avocado slices, and a tomato slice or two. Delicious!

Here’s a list of ingredients:

Water, wheat gluten, soy protein isolate, evaporated cane juice, less than 2% of: tapioca starch, natural flavor (from vegetable sources), autolyzed yeast extract, natural smoke flavor, sea salt, carrageenan, potassium chloride, tomato pulp, soy sauce (wheat, soybeans, salt), citric acid, fermented rice flour, salt, xanthan gum, paprika oleoresin (for flavor & color).

Now for the good stuff: (this is for my non-vegan friends who visit my blog to prove that I don’t sit around eating blocks of tofu wrapped in lettuce).

I serving size is 4 slices and you’re looking at 70 calories, compared to 91 calories for just 2 slices of regular ham. Smart Deli Ham has…drumroll please…just 1 gram of fat per 4 slices! while our beloved Miss Piggy has 4.82 grams–1.6 of those grams are saturated fat. While SM has 390 mg of sodium for those 4 slices, regular ham passes on a whopping 730mg of sodium–and that’s just for 2 slices! And for all those worried us vegans do not get enough protein, let me assure you that one serving gives you 12 grams of protein compared to only 9.3 grams for only 2 slices of Babe. And one last thing…Smart Deli ham is naturally cholesterol free, while the other has 32mg of the nasty stuff.

(It’s the little things in life that get me excited…) 🙂

Check out more products by Lightlife who uses organic ingredients and does not use soybeans that were produced using biotechnology. Gotta love it.

Stuffed Shells

April 10, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Ricotta what?! Who needs ricotta? These stuffed shells are outstanding and the tofu mixture can easily be used for lasagna. If you don’t have fresh basil, use 1-1/2 tablespoons of the dried variety. In the past, I’ve also added about 6 large spinach leaves after processing everything else. Great way to get some added calcium and veggies. Also, if you don’t have any French or Italian bread, make garlic toast easily with leftover hamburger or hot dog buns. I had some whole wheat hamburger buns in the freezer, so I thawed them briefly in the microwave, spread them with some Earth Balance and sprinkled them with garlic salt. Pop them in the oven under a high broiler while the shells cool after baking.

INGREDIENTS:
1 12-oz pgk. jumbo pasta shells
1 14-oz pgk. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 jar marinara sauce (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
1-1/2 C vegan mozzarella, shredded and divided

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375. Add tofu, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice to a food processor and process well until the mixture resembles ricotta cheese. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese.

Cook shells according to package instructions, but subtract a couple of minutes–you want the shells very al dente so that they do not split. Pour a layer of sauce on the bottom of a 15″ baking dish. Stuff each shell (about 43 of them) with 2-3 tsp of tofu mixture and place in pan. Top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy!

Garlic-toasted hamburger buns

Sweet and Sour Seitan

April 9, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a really quick and easy meal to throw together–less than 30 minutes. Tofu can easily be substituted for the seitan and other vegetables can be added as well. The original recipe calls for frying the seitan in 2″ of oil, but I’m not a fan of deep-frying so I sauteed the seitan instead, which worked out great. This recipe makes quite a bit if you use 2 packages of seitan–it’ll feed 4-6. For a small crowd, I’d do just 1 package and halve the other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:
2 packages seitan cut into bite-sized chunks
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup water
Peanut oil (I used olive oil)
1 green pepper cut in chunks
1 red pepper cut in chunks
1 onion cut in chunks
1 can pineapple chunks (drain, but reserve 1/4 C of juice)
Jar (11.5 oz) of sweet and sour sauce (I like Kikkoman’s brand)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix together flour, water, cornstarch, salt and baking soda in medium bowl.
Stir seitan into batter until well coated. Heat 2-3 Tbs of olive oil in a large skillet. Add seitan. Because of the batter, the pieces will stick together–use a metal spatula to turn sections of seitan and cut apart later. Cook until golden brown, then remove from heat; keep warm.

Combine green pepper and onion and sauté for 5 min. Add pineapple and reserved juice, and sweet and sour sauce. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over seitan–I recommend not adding the seitan to the pan because the coating may come off. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Recipe source: Vegweb