southwestern stuffed red peppers

my, my, it has been a long time! the holiday season is busy enough, but on top of that, 1. i was snowed in by the midwest blizzard, 2. i had my internet service go out two separate times for several days, 3. was in a car wreck that left me on the couch unable to bend or cook. my car was also totaled so i've spent the better part of a week looking for a replacement vehicle. but i'm alive... and cleaning the dust off my blog. here is a colourful recipe to put the spring back in my step!

• 3 medium red bell peppers
• 2 cups corn, cooked
• 2 cups black beans, cooked
• 1 2oz. can green chilies
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 package silken tofu (6 oz.)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon water
• salt to taste

slice the red peppers in half, so they form a bowl shape. boil the peppers in a large saucepan for approximately 5 minutes, drain and reserve the water. in an 9x11 casserole dish, pour in half a cup of the reserved water and lay in the red peppers with the open side up.


in a food processor or magic bullet, pulse the tofu, vinegar, lemon juice, water and a pinch of salt. when mixture is creamy, combine in a bowl with the rest of ingredients. scoop mexi-mixture into each red pepper bowl, filling to the top. cover the dish with foil, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 375°f. after 25 minutes, remove the foil and check that there is still a little bit of water left in the dish (add a few tablespoons if needed). return the dish to the oven and bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes. i topped mine with guacamole and served with cornbread muffins.

crusted tofu and sautéed chard

i'm no gourmet vegan chef, but sometimes i put my fancy pants on. i love to make these crusted tofu cutlets because they are simple, and you can easily glamorize them. plus they are baked, not fried, so they are definitely on the healthier side. to give the tofu a firmer texture, you can freeze it after pressing. just be sure to give it enough time to thaw, though. i've made that mistake a few times!

• 1 block of extra firm tofu
• 1 bunch gold chard, chopped
• 1 tomato
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ cups balsamic vinegar

for the marinade:

• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

for the batter:

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning

press your tofu and slice into thick slabs. mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. lay tofu slices in a 8x11 casserole dish, and pour marinade over top. place dish in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

mix batter ingredients on plate or in a bowl. take each tofu slab and place in them mixture. coat both sides. place a layer of foil on a cookie sheet, and coat with nonstick spray or use a little olive oil. bake tofu in oven for 30 minutes at 440°f, flipping half way through.

while tofu is baking, place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan on medium heat. once balsamic is heated up, turn burner to low and stir often. the heat causes the vinegar to thicken up into a nice glaze. some people add sugar to their reductions, but i don't think it needs it.

put butter in non-stick skillet, and sauté garlic. once garlic starts to brown, add the chard and tomato. continue sautéing on medium-high until chard is tender. sometimes i will add a tablespoon or two of water to assist the wilting process.

make a bed of greens with the chard and place two tofu cutlets on top. drizzle with balsamic reduction sauce, and enjoy and an easy 'gourmet' dinner. :)

baked cabbage rolls

i'm a long time cabbage fan - in fact one of the first recipes i posted on this blog was a cabbage salad of sorts. i came up with this recipe after we received a head of cabbage from door to door organics and i wanted something warm, filling and fairly healthy. my first instinct was to stuff them with rice, but we didn't have any. luckily i found some yellow split peas laying around, and they made the perfect substitute.

• 12 cabbage leaves
• 1/2 pack of tofu, crumbled
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 5 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 whole carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup cooked yellow split peas
• 1/2 tablespoon adobe seasoning
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
• 1 small can tomato sauce (80z)

there are a number of ways to get your cabbage leaves. my method involves de-coring the cabbage, and placing the whole head in a steamer for about 10-15 minutes. after it cools a minute, then i peel off the leaves and they are pliable enough for wraps. you could also peel the leaves off without steaming, but i find that they rip less when slightly cooked.

heat the sesame oil in a large skillet on high. dump in the crumbled tofu and fry for about 7-8 minutes until it starts to brown on all sides. turn your heat down a notch to medium-high and add in the onion, garlic, salt & pepper, and soy. continue sautéing for a few minutes to really season the tofu.

next, pour in the veggie broth and rest of the vegetables. do not add the last two spices or canned tomatoes yet. cook your mixture on medium high, stirring frequently, until the liquid runs low. now add in the canned tomatoes - partially drained. to 'partially drain' my canned tomatoes i usually open the can 95% with the lid still attached, turn over once and let drain, but i don't press the lid to force any more liquid out. add the tomatoes to the mix, along with the curry and adobo seasoning. simmer for about 2 mintues until most of the tomato juice has been absorbed.

in an 8x11 casserole dish, spread 1 tablespoon of the canned tomato sauce in the bottom to prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking. then wrap each leaf like burrito, stuffed with your veggie mixture, and place in the casserole dish. once all the leaves have been assembled, pour the remaining can of tomato sauce over the top.


bake at 375°f for 25 minutes, remove and sprinkle vegan parmesean on top. i just used nutritional yeast as i didn't have any vegan parm.

vegan pot pie

i wish i could say that this was made with all fresh veggies, but alas, it was not. i worked with what i had, which was a mix of fresh and canned vegetables. of course, if you have enough fresh produce around, you can just approximate the measurements (1/2 can = 1 cup). this recipe makes 2 ginormous pot pies.


for the crust:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons softened vegan butter
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/8 vegetable oil

for the filling:

• 1 can vegetable mix
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 can canned potatoes diced
• 1/2 can green beans
• 1/2 can corn
• 3/4 cup button mushrooms, diced
• 3/4 cup soy milk, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp veggie broth base(better than bouillon)
*could sub approx 1/2 bouillon cube
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  
• 3 tablespoons herbs de provence
• 2 tablespoons bragg liquid aminos
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

to make the crust, mix flour, salt and butter in mixing bowl. add in water and vegetable oil and continue mixing until everything is well incorporated. i just use my hands for this. form into a ball and let rest while starting the veggie filling.

you can use any veggies you like, but be sure to make about 4-5 cups of mixture if you are using 2 4 cup pyrex containers for cooking. heat veggies in a large sauce pan on medium heat. after about 5 minutes, add in the rest of the filling ingredients except for the cornstarch. simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes with veggies. if the sauce thickens to quickly, add another 1/4 -1/2 cup water. after simmering, add in the cornstarch and mix well for about a minute and then remove from heat. the sauce should be thickening up quite nicely at this point - the end result should be the consistency of a thick gravy sauce.

while the veggies are cooking, divide the dough in half. from each these two sections, you will use about 3/4 of the dough for the lining and the remaining for the top crust. flatten out both the lining and top layer dough with a rolling pin. spray the inside of a 4-cup round pyrex dish and lay the lining dough inside of the dish (all the way up to the top edge). you'll probably have to shift and spread the dough around inside of the dish to make sure it fits nicely. spoon half of your veggie mixture in, and lay the top layer across. with the remaining overage of dough, roll down to create a crust edge (you can press with a fork for decoration). cut slits in the the top for baking and repeat with second dish.

bake at 400°f for 40 minutes, or until dough is browned and veggie sauce is simmering over. let cool for a couple minutes, and then pop pie out of pyrex. :)

cheesy stacked enchiladas

in restaurants, enchiladas are usually wrapped up as individual tortillas stuff with yuminess. but i was taught this stacked version, that you cut more like a pie, and is actually how i prefer my enchiladas. this is just a bean and cheese recipe, but you could layer different veggies, like avocados or mushrooms, to put it over the top.

• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• 1 can vegetarian/vegan refried beans
• 3 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)
• 1 block vegan cheddar (like vegan gourmet)
• most of a fajita/burrito seasoning packet**
• handful of black olives, sliced (optional)

for the cheese sauce:

• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt/pepper mix
• 2 teaspoons vegan butter ( i use smart balance)
• 1 tablespoon fajita/burrito seasoning mix**

start by mixing up your cheese sauce ingredients in a bowl. the butter should be at room temperature or slightly heated ensure through mixing. **use one tablespoon of a fajita or burrito seasoning packet. in a separate bowl, mix 3 8oz. cans of tomato sauce with the rest of the seasoning packet.

in a 1½ quart round baking dish, lay down one tortilla and spread 2 spoonfuls of refried beans on top. then layer about 1/4 of the tomato sauce and 1/4 of the cheese sauce. lay down another tortilla and keep layering in this manner until you reach the top. finish with a layer of tomato sauce, and sprinkle shredded vegan cheddar on top. i like mine topped with sliced black olives.

bake at 350°f for about 20 minutes, or until cheese and sauce is bubbly. allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

kickin' cornbread casserole

the first time i made cornbread was last year, to go with my smokey white bean chili recipe. since then, i've found myself craving different variations of standard cornbread and decided i wanted to make a cornbread casserole of some sort. below is the results.

• 3/4 cups cornmeal
• 3/4 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (i use smart balance)
• 1 can corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can rotel
• 1 tablespoon onion
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ener-g egg replacer (w/ 3 tbsp water)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons tabasco or other hot sauce
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• vegan mozzarella (optional)

mix dry ingredients (except breadcrumbs) in a large mixing bowl. in a separate bowl, mix up the wet ingredients (butter, milk, tomatoes, rotel, egg replacer and hot sauce), and fold them into the dry.


spread into a lightly greased 8x13 glass casserole dish - top with a thin layer of vegan breadcrumbs. i prefer panko. if you prefer, spread mozzarella tofutti slices or other vegan mozzarella on top.

bake for 40-45 mins @ 350°f.

apple butter muffin cakes

is it is a muffin or is it a cupcake? this hybrid treat has the whole wheat texture of a morning muffin with sweet cupcake icing to top it off. this came about when i was making treats for work and realized some folks may not share my love of under-sweetened treats. so i piped vanilla-cinnamon florets on my apple butter muffins and - voilà - miss v muffin cakes!

• 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar + 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup apple butter (recipe here)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup soy margarine (smart balance light)
• 1/4 cup flax seed oil
• 1/4 cup water

in two bowls, separately mix up all wet and all dry ingredients. make a well in dry ingredients, and fold in the mixed wet ingredients. mix thoroughly by hand for about 1 minute, until all the dry clumps have been broken down. lightly coat muffin pan with non-stick spray, and fill each cup about 2/3 full. bake at 350°f for approximately 20 minutes. stick a toothpick or knife in the middle and make sure it comes out clean.

you can use any frosting you would like... i used the standard butter cream frosting recipe in vegan cupcakes take over the world, and added about 1/8 cup cinnamon and 1-2 teaspoons vanilla powder.

chef's note: these will not rise a lot, so if you want larger muffin cakes, you'll have to fill the tin fuller. :)

vegan barbecue pork chops

it's funny, i never liked pork chops even when i did eat meat. lately, however, i've been really interested to see how close i can get to 'replicating' certain tastes. after i made the miso mustard slaw last week, i thought it would pair nicely with a barbecue flavour of some sort.


for the chop:

• 1 1/2 cups wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons veggie broth
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/8 cup low sodium soy
• 1/8 cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon cajun/creole seasoning
• 1 tablespoon lipton savory herb garlic soup powder
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

for the marinade:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup bbq sauce
• 3/4 tablespoon stoneground mustard
• 1 teaspoon all spice

• 1 cup breadcrumbs (optional)
  

combine wet chop ingredients into the dry, and knead for approximately two minutes. add additional water if it is too dry. at this point, you will have 1 large ball - you can either cut or pull apart the individual chops and then flatten each one. i made about 4 pork chop-sized cutlets from the amount listed.

mix up marinade and coat each chop well. put the rest of the marinade in an 8x11 glass baking dish and let the cutlets marinade for several hours (or overnight).

after marinating, pour off and reserve the liquid. bake chops at 375°f for 40 minutes, flipping half way through. to encrust, pull chops out of oven for several minutes. using tongs, dip each into the reserved marinade, and then into breadcrumbs. put back into dish, and continue cooking at 375°f for about 10 minutes. serve on a bed of miso mustard cabbage slaw.

cheesy quiona and bbq veggies

currently, the hippest grain on the block is quinoa. i've made some successful and some not-so-successful dishes in my attempts to master it. below is my latest recipe that i'm chalking up in the successful category.

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup mixed bell pepper strips
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup of your favourite barbecue sauce

for the cheese sauce:

• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons fat free nayonaise

i wanted to grill my veggies, but it's about 10 degrees here so i went about it another way. spread the bell peppers and broccoli florets in a glass baking dish and coat with barbecue sauce. bake for about 20 minutes at 400°f, until they start to roast. flip halfway through.

right after you pop the veggies in the oven, start cooking quinoa. to cook: soak quinoa in hot water for about 5 minutes, then drain and rinse. add 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes or so.

while everything is cooking, get out the magic bullet or blender and whip up the cheese sauce by blending all the listed ingredients. after the veggies have finished roasting, flip the oven to the broiler setting, and broil the veggies for about 5-10 minutes until the edges start to brown.

finally, combine quinoa and cheese sauce, and fold in the barbecued veggies.

seitan holiday roast

when i was vegetarian, we would buy the quorn turk'y roast for thanksgiving meals. since that isn't a vegan option, i opted to get my hands wet and create a homemade 'faust' this year. not to mention, it was the first time i ever worked with seitan. i used the very basic ingredients from vegan with a vengeance, but apart from that, it was a miss v creation. not too shabby, i must say.


for the roast:

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons unbleached flour
• 2 tablespoons thyme, sage & rosemary mix
• 1½ cups veggie broth
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 celery stalk, minced
• 1/8 small onion, minced

for the broth:

• 2 cups veggie broth
  
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons thyme, sage & rosemary mix
• 1/2 celery stalk, minced
• 1/8 small onion

optional: 4 baby red potatoes

for the roast, mix up the the first four dry ingredients. for the spice mix, just throw in whatever tastes good - i used thyme and sage as they remind me of thanksgiving flavours. mix the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. for the onion and celery, i used a magic bullet to mince them up as i didn't want large chunks in my roast. slowly combine the wet into the dry ingredients, kneading as you go. knead for at least 2 minutes, and then divide into two small roasts.

put the roasts into a 1.5 quart baking dish. if you want, cut up the baby potatoes to bake with the roasts. mix up the broth ingredients, and pour half into the baking dish with the roasts. bake at 395°f for about 25 minutes. at this point, most of the broth will have evaporated. pour in the second half of the broth and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 340°f. serve warm.

as a side note, i cut my roasts into slices before i baked the second time. this allowed the juices to really get in and marinade the roast. but that's completely optional.

roasted apple butter

i used up the last of our apple bounty to make apple butter. i found a roasted applesauce recipe in vegan with a vengeance, but (of course) wasn't cool with all the sugar involved. i'm sure the original recipe is tasty, but i think apples are already sweet, so i opted for the less caloric approach and pretty much modified the whole thing. also, this turned out decidedly more apple butter than applesauce, because it was thick and could be spread on toast (which i did a lot of).

• about 10-12 small golden delicious apples
• 1-2 tablespoons agave nectar
• cinnamon to taste

preheat oven to 350f°. peel, core and chop the apples into medium size chunks. spread apple chunks in single layer in 9x12 baking/casserole dishes (i used two for 12 apples). drizzle with agave and sprinkle with cinnamon, then gently toss so apples are evenly coated. bake the apples for about 15 minutes, turn once, and bake for 10-15 minutes more. pull out the dishes and let cool. i used a potato masher for one of the dishes, but then my arm got tired. so i used a magic bullet for the other half. makes about 2 pints.

chocolate almond pb2 vegan biscotti

ok, this is the first real 'sweet' treat i've posted, and to be honest, most people won't find it that sugary sweet. although it's still yummy, i promise! i love coffee, and nothing sets off a nice cup of java like a biscotti cookie. for those of you unfamiliar with this crunchy twice-baked treat, give it shot. you won't regret it.


mix dry ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cup whole wheat graham flour (i use hodgson mill)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened organic cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup pb2 (peanut butter powder - sub peanut butter if you wish)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds (i use non-roasted and hand chop)

in a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/4 cup softened vegan butter (i use earth balance lite)
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup peanut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

i slowly combine the wet into the dry, and mix with a spatula. after dough starts bind a little, i hand-knead until i have a 'batter'. it's much stiffer than cookie dough - but it should stick together, even if it still feels a little crumbly. you could always add a little more butter if it's falling apart too much. so once i have a dough, i break it in half and lay out two separate flat slabs on a greased baking sheet, about 1/2-3/4 inches thick. (see pic below) in this case, i didn't grease the sheet, but used foil instead.


traditionally, you are supposed to bake once before you make the first cut, but that's never worked for me (they fall apart). so i cut into biscotti strips about an inch wide, and bake at 350 f for about 25 minutes. pull out, and let cool for about 10-15 minutes. then turn the biscotti on their sides (see first pic), and bake for another 20 minutes.

once they have cooled, store in an air-tight container. to eat, dip in your favourite cup of coffee. they have just a hint of sweet almond cocoa peanut butter, but not too much of any one flavour. hope you enjoy them.

baked zucchini boat

my typically fruitful garden has been successful at producing only one thing this year: zucchinis. good thing i love the hell out of them. here is a recipe for a stuffed baked zucchini boat... they were pretty tasty, and definitely on the low-fat side. the pic didn't turn out that great... sorry. :(

• 1 zucchini (boated)
• 2 cans tomato sauce (the 8oz cans)
  
• (boated) zucchini innards
• 1/4 cup shitake mushrooms
• 2-3 tablespoons old world seasoning (i use penzey's spices)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/4 cup rice (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ev olive oil

after scooping the zucchini insides out, chop it up into cubes and mix all the ingredients (except olive oil) together. spice as much you like, then fill the hollow zucchini boats up with the mixture. brush the outside of the zucchini boats with the evoo. place on a baking sheet, and bake about 40-45 minutes on 365. the outside zucchini should be softer, but not roasted.

the recipe listed was for about one medium-size zucchini, halved.

eat up.