vegan mofo: broccoli & brown rice casserole

really simple recipe that actually tastes good, but is it too simple for vegan blog recipe post?


status: good eating?

why i'm including it: i made this like 2 years ago.  simple, tasty, easy.  i have the recipe, but it just seemed so simple.  maybe i'll glamorize it a bit and re-post.  it might taste okay, but really has no personality.

would i make it again: i do, for easy dinner nights. it needs something more to be blog-worthy.

veggie and kraut pizza

pizza has long been one of my favourite foods. another one my favourites is sauerkraut, and when i went vegan, i found that kraut made a tasty substitute for cheese on pizza. it's not exactly apples to apples in terms of taste, mind you, but it's really worth giving it a shot (if you like kraut). the best part - it crunches up perfectly on the edges.

• 1 batch of pizza crust
  
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced and halved
• 5-6 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup vegan sausage crumbles
• 10-15 black olives, chopped
• 1 cup of sauerkraut, drained

for the pizza sauce:

• 1 small can tomato paste (6oz)
• 3/4 small can tomato sauce (6oz)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
• pinch of salt

jessy of happyveganface recently blogged about her whole wheat pizza dough and i had been dying to give it a shot. the verdict - absolutely perfect! i will definitely use this dough more often.

the pizza sauce recipe listed is my go-to recipe when i haven't really 'planned' on making pizza. i prefer a nice combination of fresh and sun dried tomatoes for my sauce, but sometimes a girl just doesn't have all the fresh ingredients she needs. and it's simple - just whisk up all the ingredients in a bowl. also, i really love black pepper in my sauce. i learned this from my italian grandmother, who i once watched make pizza sauce with a heavy hand of black pepper. her sauce tops mine of course, but i haven't forgotten the special black pepper ingredient. :)

i think everyone knows how to make pizza, so i'll just skip to the best part. after layering your sauce and veggies, drain and hand-squeeze your sauerkraut. spread it thinly over the top of your pizza - much like you would with shredded cheese. if you want the kraut to crunchify, make sure you can still see the veggies below. i've tried it both ways, and i say 'thin to win'...

pop it in the oven at 425°f, and let cook for at least 12 minutes. usually i just eyeball it after this, depending on how thick it is, and how crispy you like it.

broccoli and white beans

this was a side dish i whipped up when we needed something to go with our main course and the pantry was pretty bare. originally, i wasn't sure about the crunchiness of the broccoli with the texture of the creamy white beans. however, by the end of the bowl, i was looking forward to each green floret as it really created a nice contrast.

• 1/2 head of fresh broccoli, chopped
• 2 cups cooked white beans
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

whisk the apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and ginger and pour over the chopped raw broccoli florets. allow broccoli to marinate for at least 4 hours, tossing occasionally.

in a large saucepan, add the two cups of cooked white beans and nutritional yeast and bring burner to medium heat. add the broccoli and marinade and cook entire mixture for about 10 minutes. the dish will be slightly creamy, but the broccoli should still have a bit of crunchy texture. add a dash or two of hot sauce if you like heat. serve as a side dish - about 4 servings.

linguine con broccoli (in creamy white wine sauce)

my absolute favourite italian restaurant in kansas city is garozzos. unfortunately, it's not so vegan friendly (it became my favourite when i was just ovo-lacto veg). anyways, they have some amazing pasta dishes there, including a linguine pasta in a creamy white wine sauce. every once in a while i have a 'try-to-replicate-it' night, and this was my best attempt. it was really good, although not exact (how do you veganize provel cheese?!).

• 1 pkg. linguine (approx 12 oz.)
• 2-3 cups broccoli florets, steamed
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter *like smart balance
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sauce ingredients:

• 2 cups soymilk (unsweetened)
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons bragg's aminos
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 ½ tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoons black pepper
• 2/3 cup white cooking wine

first combine the soymilk and ACV in a jar or something shakeable and let sit - this will cause the soymilk to thicken. start cooking the linguine (according to package), and steam the broccoli.

in a medium sauce pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil on medium heat. once the garlic starts to roast, add the butter. combine the rest of the sauce ingredients - except for the wine - in the same jar as the soymilk. cap the jar, and shake vigorously until everything has been mixed well. pour the mixture in the saucepan, turning heat down to low-medium. let simmer for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is fairly thick and creamy. add the broccoli florets and cooking wine, simmering for 3-5 minutes more. remove from heat.

personally, i prefer to let the sauce rest for several minutes before serving with the linguine. as the sauce begins to cool off, it will thicken up even more.

spicy cabbage mix in peanut sauce

today is st. patrick's day, a highly celebrated day in my house. i don't have a typical irish food recipe to share, but i felt i should at least post something green. i can eat cabbage in almost any fashion, and *love* adding it to my stir fry recipes. the best part of this dish is that the peanut sauce really complements the spiciness. happy st. patrick's day!


stir fry:

• 1 cup steamed broccoli
• 2 cups shredded cabbage and carrots
• 1/4 cup peanuts
  
• 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
  
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon water
  

for the peanut sauce:

• 5 tablespoons pb2
  
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy
• 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

whisk up the stir fry sauce ingredients, and pour over the steamed broccoli. allow the broccoli to marinade for a couple hours.

meanwhile, mix up the peanut sauce by first mixing pb2 powder with 4 tablespoons of water. pb2 is a peanut butter powder that has something like 85% less calories than regular peanut butter (and still tastes good!). if you don't have pb2, you could sub about 1/4 cup peanut butter, but i really suggest you try it. after the pb2 reaches a thin creamy consistency, whisk in the rest of the peanut sauce ingredients.

after broccoli has marinated, turn your wok on 400° and dump in the broccoli and marinade. stir fry for several minutes, and then toss in cabbage. continue cooking for about 3 minutes, toss in peanuts, and cook another 3 minutes. cover in peanut sauce and serve.

jumbo stuffed shells

i crafted this recipe after my lasagna ricotta creation, baking jumbo pasta shells stuffed with the mixture. this makes quite a few shells - enough to feed at least 4 or 5, or makes lots of yummy leftovers for those of us not cooking for as many. :)

• 1 box jumbo pasta shells (12oz.)
• 3 small can tomato sauce (8oz. ea)
  
• 1 small can tomato paste (6oz.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• several shredded fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• heavy dash of black ground pepper
• 1/2 head of steamed broccoli (approx. 7 oz.)
• 1 batch vegan ricotta recipe: here
• vegan mozzarella to your heart's content

start boiling the pasta shells according to the instructions. in a medium saucepan on medium heat, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for a little over a minute. if you are using fresh onion (instead of onion powder), add them into this step. after sautéing, mix in the tomato sauce and paste, along with all spices listed. let simmer on medium-low heat.

chop the steamed broccoli. in blender or food processor, make one batch of the vegan ricotta, adding in the broccoli. in an 8x11 casserole dish, spread 1 or 2 tablespoons of the red sauce to prevent the noodles from sticking. open each shell, and stuff with vegan ricotta allowing enough room to close the shell again. the ricotta measurement is sort of a personal judgment, but i use about one large spoonful.

place shells in dish, facing upwards. pour sauce over all shells, and top with shredded mozzarella if you like. i used tofutti mozzarella slices, torn up and placed on each shell.

bake at 375°f for approximately 35-40 minutes. let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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.

simple spicy stir fry

i'm a spice maniac. seriously. my stomach must be made of steel because i love superhuman hot-ness in my foods. this dish will definitely clear the sinuses. i'd suggest modifying the chili paste based upon what you prefer. best of all, it's really low fat and low calorie if you stick to the oil measurements below.

• 7 oz. frozen broccoli
• 1 cup shredded cabbage and carrots
• 2 tablespoons chili paste
• 1 tablespoon chili oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons nama shoyu (or soy)
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ground sichuan peppercorns

heat oils and chili paste in a wok on high (about 400°). add in the broccoli, shoyu, galic and ginger and stir fry until well heated (about 7 minutes with frozen broccoli). add the rice vinegar and cabbage mix (i used bag coleslaw mix) and cook for about 5 minutes. toss in the ground sichuan peppercorns about 30 seconds before you finish stir frying.

this recipe only makes one bowl- perfect for the solo spice lover.

vegan lasagna

our traditional christmas dinner is lasagna, and for years my mother and i have stood side-by-side in the kitchen on christmas morning assembling our italian dishes. this was the first time i attempted a vegan one, which brought on quite a few changes - from the mozzarella to the ricotta to the parmesan. below is my recipe. also, i tend to like my lasagna really saucy, so just make modifications to the amounts as you prefer.

• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 6 cups mom's mushroom pasta sauce**
• 3 cups spinach
• 1 large head of broccoli florets, steamed
• 16 oz. vegan mozzarella, shredded
• 6-8 tablespoons vegan parmesan
• 1 batch vegan ricotta (see recipe below)

**if you don't have a favourite sauce, add mushrooms to this recipe

for the ricotta:

• 12 oz. silken tofu
• 6 oz. tofutti sour cream
• 2 teaspoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 5 fresh basil leaves, minced
• 5-8 baby spinach leaves, minced
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• salt & pepper to taste

to make the ricotta, blend tofu, sour cream, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor. after mixture is creamy (add more oil or lemon juice if necessary), mix the rest of ingredients in by hand. chill until ready to use.

to assemble lasagna:
in a 8x11 glass or ceramic casserole dish, spread about 2 tablespoons of the sauce in the bottom of the dish to prevent noodles from sticking. place 3 noodles across the bottom, then use a spoon to spread about 1/3 of the ricotta evenly. now layer about 1/4 of the sauce in the dish, followed by 1/3 of the spinach and the broccoli. sprinkle a mozzarella layer and a parmesan layer, and then place another set of noodles in the dish. repeat the process, building up the lasagna until you have used up all ingredients. make sure to save enough sauce and mozzarella for the final top of the dish.


a few notes: make sure you buy vegan lasagna noodles (no egg). also, for the mozzarella, i used veganrella this time as i often have a hard time getting fyh vegan gourmet cheeses to melt. veganrella's cheddar cheese is really good, but the mozzarella was just average. i think next time i will try using tofutti mozzarella slices... just a thought.

bake lasagna at 375°f for about 45 minutes. the top cheese layer should be browning and the sauce should be bubbly. makes 6 large pieces of lasagna.