Vegan Archives - Page 16 of 22

Taco Salad

March 28, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is a light and easy meal that only takes about 10 mins to pull together. I’m loving these Meatless Ground Crumbles from Boca! They are perfect for this meal. If you don’t have taco seasoning, it’s easy to make your own–below is a recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg (12 oz) Boca Meatless Ground Crumbles, cooked according to package instructions
Lettuce
Vegan cheddar, shredded
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
Salsa
Tortilla chips or strips (found with the salad dressings and croutons)
Tofutti sour cream or vegan ranch dressing
Taco seasoning:
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Layer lettuce (I used a combo of spinach and romaine), ground crumbles, cheese, tomato, avocado, salsa, tortilla chips or strips and vegan ranch or Tofutti sour cream and enjoy!

Risotto with Oyster Mushrooms, Leeks and Peas

March 24, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This risotto from The Kind Diet, definitely takes some time to prepare, but is well worth it. I don’t recommend making this for a side dish unless the main meal is fast, easy with little hands-on time. Otherwise, this makes a great main dish served with garlic bread or toast.

INGREDIENTS:
3 Tbs olive oil
3/4 – 1 C oyster mushrooms, or 1 C button mushrooms, sliced
2 pinches of fine sea salt
1/2 C thinly sliced leeks (about 1 large leek)
1/2 C fresh or thawed frozen peas
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4-1 C onion, chopped
1 C arborio rice
1/2 C white wine or mirin (I used 3/4 white wine and 1/4 mirin)

DIRECTIONS:
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbs of the oil in a skillet. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and stir until the mushrooms soften. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt and saute for 1 minute, or until the leeks soften. Add some water to the pan, 1 Tbs at a time, if the vegetables become dryer or start to stick to the pan.

If you are using fresh peas, blanch then for 1 minute in a small pot of boiling water, and then add them to the sauteed vegetables. If using thawed frozen peas, just mix them straight into the sauteed vegetables. Remove from the heat and set aside. (I transferred them to a bowl).

Heat the remaining 2 Tbs of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and when the onion begins to sizzle, add a dash of salt. Saute until the onions soften, about 1-2 mins. Stir in the rice and toast the grains until they are opaque, about 2-3 mins. Stir in the wine and cook until it is evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium-low and begin adding the warm water by ladlefuls, stirring it into the risotto, and adding more liquid only when the previous addition has been absorbed.

After the rice has cooked for 20 mins, season to taste with salt. The total cooking time should be 25-30 mins. The risotto will be creamy, but the rice should retain some firmness. Add the sauteed vegetable mixture to the risotto and stir together until hot. Serve warm and enjoy!

Recipe source: The Kind Diet

Spicy Sweet Potato Hash

March 24, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This recipe, from Vegan Planet, is great for leftover sweet potatoes, but if you don’t have any, it’s certainly easy enough to make this recipe. Just peel and dice 2 medium sweet potatoes, layer onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and cook for 15-20 mins at 375.

You can also serve this hash in a flour tortilla with some salsa and vegan shredded cheese…yum!

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 2 medium-sized ones)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 frozen veggie burgers, thawed and chopped or crumbled (6oz of Boca Meatless Crumbles would work well, too or 2 Tofurky Italian sausages–basil and sun dried tomato flavor, diced)
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
Salt and ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 mins. Add the potatoes, veggie burgers (I zapped the burgers in the microwave for about a minute–I’d go with 30 seconds, then chop or crumble them), cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 10 mins. Enjoy!

Recipe source: Vegan Planet

Hummus and Kalamata Olive Pizza

March 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Being a vegan, you can say good-bye to pizza. Well…traditional pizza, that is. But…vegans say hello to healthier pizza. I had a similar pizza while in Estes Park, CO when we got away for Spring Break, so here is my version. The Kalamata olives are wonderful on this pizza and the Husband kept sneaking them while I was making this meal, so if they look sparse, it’s his fault! Add some tofu feta if you’d like. Also, I strongly recommend using chopped fresh spinach–if using large leaves and you take a bite, it could be like pulling a tablecloth out from underneath a set of china and having it go horribly wrong. Chop it up.

INGREDIENTS:
2 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp yeast
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1-1/2 C hummus
1 C chopped fresh basil
3 C chopped fresh spinach
3/4 C chopped walnuts, toasted
1-6oz jar Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
2 roma tomatoes, diced
Balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
Dough:
Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine flours, yeast, salt and rosemary. Add 1-1/4 C of hot tap water and olive oil. Mix well and shape into a ball. Knead for 5 mins, then let rise in a warm place for 15 mins. Roll out the dough on a floured surface.

Grease a large baking sheet and place dough in it. (I did slice off a small section to make a separate pizza for the 5th Grader, so the one you see on the large pan below is minus that…this makes a good-sized pizza, so making smaller ones would work well). Stick dough several times with a fork and bake for 4 mins.On baked crust, spread hummus first, then layer spinach, basil, olives and tomatoes.

Bake again for 8 mins. Before slicing, add toasted walnuts.

After serving, but before devouring, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Seitan Meatballs

March 22, 2010 by epicureanvegan

One bite and these “meat”balls were an instant favorite that I’ll be making often. They’re actually quite easy to make and prep time was only about 10 mins at the most. The recipe is from Vegetarian Times and includes a sauce recipe, which I didn’t have time for, so I just used jarred sauce. Already looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow…

INGREDIENTS:
1-16-oz pkg. seitan (I used 2-8oz pkgs of Westsoy’s beef-style seitan–in the red box)
1/2 C pecans
1/2 C whole wheat breadcrumbs (used regular–couldn’t find whole wheat)
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs)
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp egg replacer powder
16-oz pasta
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray (I used foil and sprayed that–baked-on cooking spray is a pain to scrub off of baking sheets)! Crumble seitan in food processor . Add pecans; pulse to blend.

Transfer to a bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs, herbs, garlic, 1 Tbs olive oil, and soy sauce. Whisk egg replacer with 1/4 C water until frothy; fold into seitan mixture.

Shape mixture into 18 (I got 20) balls. Place on prepared baking sheet, and brush with remaining 2 Tbs oil.

Bake 20 mins, turning once, or until crusty and lightly browned. I didn’t bother turning them and they turned out great.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and divide among serving bowls. Top with sauce and meatballs. Enjoy!

UPDATE: These made GREAT meatball sandwiches!

Product Review: Boca Meatless Ground Crumbles

March 21, 2010 by epicureanvegan

These have been sitting in my freezer for a couple of weeks and so I finally got around to using them. I decided to make tacos with the crumbles and typically, I would add 1/2 a large onion, chopped to the pan, but I forgot. Oops. (I guess I was too focused on the review)!

The crumbles come out of the bag resembling frozen, cooked ground beef and breaks up easily in the pan. The back of the packages recommends adding to a skillet, sprayed generously with cooking spray. I used a Tbs of olive oil. Within 10-12 minutes, the crumbles were heated through and gave off an almost sweet, cinnamon-y smell. But the crumbles didn’t taste like it–in fact, there wasn’t much taste to them. I certainly recommend using a taco seasoning when making tacos–or any other seasoning when using these crumbles–they’re kinda bland. Fortunately though, they also don’t taste fake, or rubbery like some vegan meat. Overall, I was very impressed.

For around $4 for 12-oz, “ground beef” tacos are back, baby!

The tacos didn’t taste “altered” at all. Packed with Tofutti sour cream, vegan cheddar, diced avocado, lettuce and salsa, these were delicious, satisfying and very meat-like.

And here comes the really good part: These meatless ground crumbles have only 0.5g of unsaturated fat per serving–that’s 90% less fat than ground beef!! Not only that, there are 13 grams of protein per serving! It seems like a no-brainer.

As we were chowing down, we were listing off the different meals we could use these bodacious crumbles in:

Burritos

Lasagna

Enchilades

Tostadas

Chili

Taco salad (the back of the package features a recipe for this)

Really….these crumbles would work for anything requiring ground beef.

Check out Boca’s site for more info and ingredient list.

Hoisin-Glazed Tempeh with Green Beans and Cashews

March 18, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is from Vegetarian Times and if you don’t have a lot of time, it’s a fast and easy meal. I made a few minor changes to the recipe like doubling the tempeh and sauce ingredients, plus I served it over rice that I seasoned with sesame seed oil and ground ginger. (I’ll list the original recipe–decide for yourself if you’d like to double it). If you’re not a big fan of tempeh, tofu would work great. The sauce itself is a great basic stir-fry sauce for any of your favorite stir-fry ingredients. I think mushrooms or bamboo shoots would have been a great addition to this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
4 tsp hoisin sauce
2-1/2 tsp rice vinegar, divided
1 Tbs soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1-1/2 Tbs minced ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp)
1-8oz pkg tempeh, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1-12oz pkg frozen whole baby green beans (I used just 10 ounces of cut green beans)
1/3 C roasted, unsalted cashews (I used 2/3 and roasted them self in a dry pan over the stove–cheaper)!
1-2 C cooked rice seasoned with 3-4 splashes of sesame seed oil and 1/8-1/4 tsp ground ginger (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together hoisin sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/2 C water in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat skillet or wok over medium heat. Add oil, then ginger and garlic. Stir-fry 1-2 mins or until garlic turns pale gold. Add tempeh and hoisin sauce mixture to pan. Stir to coat tempeh. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 2 mins, or until sauce begins to thicken. Stir in green beans. Cover, and simmer 4-5 mins, or until beans are hot, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 tsp of rice vinegar. Serve topped with cashews.

Enjoy!

Quinoa Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds

March 11, 2010 by epicureanvegan

This is one of my favorite side dishes.
Quinoa is not a grain, but actually a seed, but certainly looks, cooks and tastes like a grain. It’s even called a “supergrain” because of it’s many benefits and easy digestibility. Quinoa is packed full of protein, magnesium, and fiber. Research has also found that eating this fabulous seed…can help prevent breast cancer, diabetes and insulin resistance. So dig in!

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add quinoa and toast, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in broth and salt and bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cranberries, cover again and continue to cook until liquid is completely absorbed and quinoa is tender, 8 to 10 minutes more. Toss with almonds. Enjoy!

Recipe source: Whole Foods

Seitan* Tostadas with Avocado Dressing

March 7, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Well…the (*) indicates that seitan may not be the right choice for these tostadas–the original recipe called for chicken so I figured chicken-style seitan would be the ideal substitute. I guess I can’t always be a vegan-recipe-master. Next time, I will try refries with Boca brand “beef” crumbles. But I wanted to share the recipe for the Avocado Dressing that is fantastic! It would go great with tacos, burritos, or as a salsa.

INGREDIENTS:
Avocado Dressing:
6 Tbs vegetable oil
4 Tbs cider vinegar
4 tsp minced pickled jalapeno peppers
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 C cilantro, chopped (I added, but optional)
The Rest:
I recommend trying 1 can refried beans with 1 bag Boca Ground Crumbles or possibly using a taco seasoning mix with the seitan.
1 pkg, 10-count tostada shells
Vegan cheddar, shredded
Tofutti sour cream
Lettuce, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
For the dressing: Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to use (top “meat” with it).

Recipe source: Creme de Colorado Cookbook

Honey-Glazed Tofu on Couscous

March 6, 2010 by epicureanvegan

I have a stack of magazines, each with at least ten Post-Its sticking out, marking delicious-looking recipes to try. Facing a hungry family, I looked through this arsenal of dinner options. This one is from Healing Foods Cookbook from Vegetarian Times. Calling for 2 tsp of black pepper, it had a bit of a kick–I definitely loved it, but if you don’t, I’d cut the pepper dose in half. The recipe also called for (2) 10-oz of extra firm tofu, but I used just (1) 14-oz and that was more than enough. I made a couple of other alterations, but I’ll post the original recipe with my changes.

INGREDIENTS:
Honey-Glazed Tofu:
2- 10 oz pkgs. extra-form tofu (I used 1- 14 oz pkg.)
2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/2 C honey
Pumpkin Seed Couscous:
2 C low-sodium vegetable broth
2 medium carrots, chopped–1 cup (I didn’t have any…oops)
1 C frozen edamame, thawed
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 C whole wheat couscous (I used regular)
1/2 C toasted pumpkin seeds (I used toasted sliced almonds)

DIRECTIONS:
To make Honey-Glazed Tofu: Place tofu between two plates and set heavy pot (or cans) on top. Drain 10 mins and pat dry. Cut tofu into 3/8″ thick slices. (I didn’t get a ruler out–just went for it).

Combine pepper, thyme, and salt in a small bowl. Coat tofu slices with pepper mixture and set aside.

To make Pumpkin Seed Couscous: Bring broth, carrots, edamame, olive oil, and salt to a boil in a covered saucepan. Remove from heat, and stir in couscous. Cover 5 mins, then fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil and honey in a large skillet over medium-high heat until bubbling. Place seasoned tofu in pan and cook 3 mins. Turn and cook 3 minutes more, spooning thickening sauce over tofu.

To serve: Stir pumpkin seeds into couscous. (I sprinkled them on top of single servings to keep them from getting soft or soggy, especially for leftovers). Spoon onto plates and top with Honey-Glazed Tofu. It will feed about 6 people. Definitely delicious and I think any leftover tofu would be great for sandwiches, too. Enjoy!