sautéed mushroom soup

oh my, how i love sautéed mushrooms. there is something divine in those tender little fungi all buttery and warm. when i was young, my family would always make them with steak and brown bread, and the mushrooms were my favourite part of the meal (although brown bread rocks pretty hard). i hadn't made them in years, but thanksgiving left me an abundance of mushrooms and i decided to incorporate that awesome flavour into a warm and filing soup.

• 3 cups veggie broth
• 2 cups mushrooms
*i used half button and half baby bella

• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tablespoon of corn starch (optional)

in a food processor combine the veggie broth and 1½ cups of the mushrooms. process the mushrooms until they well blended are no large pieces are left behind. when i made my soup, the mushrooms were almost nonexistent after i was finished blending.

add the mushroom broth into a large sauce pan, and place on burner set to medium-high. when the broth starts to simmer, add in onion powder and soy sauce and reduce heat to medium. let simmer lightly, stirring occasionally.

meanwhile, in a small non-stick skillet, sauté 1/2 cup of the mushrooms with butter and garlic on medium-high heat. after approximately 4-5 minutes, or when the mushrooms are tender, remove from heat and add to the mushroom broth. continue simmering on medium for approximately 5-7 minutes. add the coconut milk, and allow soup to return to a simmer for 5 more minutes. at this point, you can add in the corn starch as a thickener if needed. if adding the corn starch, keep saucepan on burner for a few additional minutes. otherwise, remove from heat and let cool at least 3-5 minutes before serving.

serves 3-4.

vegan carne asada

i finally found young jackfruit at my local asian market! i had been hunting it down for a while now, as i have seen many recipes that use it for pulled pork sandwiches. it has a nice shredded texture, which i thought would lend itself well to some cruelty-free carne asada. the result was pretty good - not spot on, but a nice substitute. be sure and get the young jackfruit in brine - the ripe kind will be sweet and not a good match for this recipe.

• 1 20 oz. can young jackfruit
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon bragg's aminos
• 1 cup water

for the marinade:

• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup lime juice (1-2 limes)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
• small handful cilantro, shredded

mix the marinade ingredients together in shallow dish and set aside. in a non-stick skillet,
sauté the garlic in the olive oil on medium heat. when garlic starts to brown, add in the drained jackfruit and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes. add in the water and braggs, lower the heat, and let simmer for approximately 45 minutes (or until liquid has evaporated).

move the jackfruit to the marinade dish, and let sit for several hours. before serving, fire the skillet back up to high and sauté the jackfruit (no marinade). if it hasn't started to shred, use a fork to pull the jackfruit apart so it resembles carne asada. i added a pinch of turmeric and cumin at this point to give it a little color, but that's completely optional. continue cooking until the jackfruit starts to brown a little on the ends - the crunch is totally worth it.

i served over spanish rice with salsa, but next time i will try tacos!

lentil and tempeh stroganoff

stroganoff is one of those dishes i never had growing up... so my recipe mimics what i *think* it should taste like. luckily, i had a another tester who agreed that it was pretty similar to the traditional one. i've been on a major tempeh kick lately. i don't purchase it that often since it can become a costly ingredient, but i recently made my own homemade batch and have been swooning over some new recipe ideas.

• 8 oz. tempeh
• 1¼ veggie broth
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1¼ tablespoon lemon juice, divided
• 1½ cups cooked green lentils
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 6 oz. silken tofu
• 2+ tablespoons reserved marinade

first break tempeh into smaller strips or cubes and steam for 12 minutes. mix vegetable broth, garlic and onion powders, paprika, black pepper and 3/4 tablespoons lemon juice in a flat bottom bowl or dish. marinate the steamed tempeh for several hours (at least 2).

after tempeh has marinated, drain and reserve liquid. in the magic bullet or food processor, combine tofu, apple cider vinegar, the rest of lemon juice and two tablespoons of reserved marinade. pulse until tofu mixture is thick and creamy... if needed, add a little more marinade by the teaspoon.

heat olive oil in skillet on medium and add cooked lentils. sauté until they start to brown and get a little crunchy, much like a lentil hash. after crunchy bits have formed, add in rest of the marinade broth (at least 1 cup) and simmer on low for 2-3 minutes. do not let all the liquid evaporate. finally, kick heat up just a notch and add in the creamy tofu mixture. cook for approximately 2-3 minutes, until it's a nice stroganoff consistency (like a thick gravy).

server over flat pasta noodles, or brown rice.

vegan thanksgiving

adopt turkeys, don't eat them! i did just that from farm sanctuary this year. there are plenty of other ways to celebrate the holiday meat-free. here are a few recipe ideas.

entrées

holiday faust:
this is my go-to thanksgiving recipe. after a few adjustments, i would suggest that you definitely use low-sodium soy and cut it with a little water to reduce the saltiness (unless you are using a really weak broth).


vegan pot pie:
i made this for easter last year, but it would be equally yummy as a t-day meal. like any good pot pie, the best part is cracking the shell.


mock meatloaf:
maybe it doesn't scream 'thanksgiving meal', but it's still hearty enough to stand up to a turkey platter. plus you get awesome meatloaf sandwiches the next day.

side dishes

roasted garlic mashed potatoes:
isn't t-day all about the sides? and what feast would be complete without potatoes of some sort? here is a little garlic twist on an old favourite.


creamy kamut salad:
if you haven't tried kamut, it's a nice little grain similar to orzo or buckwheat. this is a slightly more modern dish, loaded with tons of fresh asparagus.

poor girl's green bean casserole:
i made this during one of my pantry clean-out modes. saltines and canned green beans - super cheap and pretty delish.

dessert

blog mom's zucchini custard pie:
my 'blog mom' sent me this recipe last year. i made it for thanksgiving last year and it was a hit. definitely don't let the 'zucchini' part scare you off of this recipe.


simply cinnamon apples:
very easy and healthy - a perfect ending to heavy day of eating. be sure to use organic apples though... apples can carry some of the highest pesticide counts.


chocolate almond biscotti:
there is nothing like an italian cookie dipped in a warm cup of coffee. comforting, and not too filling... a perfect way to end a long day with those you love.


happy thanksgiving!

raw matchstick salad

after the last couple of 'heavier' recipes, i decided to lighten up a little bit with a raw dish. one of my favourite offbeat flavor combinations is sauerkraut and avocados. i know it sounds a little questionable, but it's actually a party in your mouth. it must be something about the zing of kraut melded with the creaminess of avocado. i call this a matchstick salad because i julienned most of the veggies into small matchstick slivers. the recipe below yields one really filling salad.

• 3/4 cup raw sauerkraut, drained
• 1 carrot
• 1/3 red bell pepper
• 1/3 medium zucchini
• 2-3 medium button mushrooms
• handful of mung bean sprouts
• 1/3 avocado

julienne all your veggies (except kraut, sprouts and avocado) into small matchstick size pieces. cube your avocado. layer the drained sauerkraut first, then add each vegetable in subsequent layers. or, the wiser person would just dump everything in a bowl. as you can see, this was my realization after i took the first picture and tried to eat it.


i didn't use any dressing on this because the avocado and kraut were moist enough. however, feel free to use your favourite dressing - i bet one with ginger would pair especially well.

frito pie

so it's not the healthiest dish in the book, but when i made soyrizo breakfast burritos i was reminded of this childhood dish. frito pie: a simple culinary concept the likes of which make every child to college student coo with delight. is it just me, or does it seem like after our early twenties this dish disappears from our conscious? maybe because it's full of processed foods, but i say that even the healthiest of adults has to indulge their inner child every once in a while. go buy a bag of fritos, and you too could be enjoying the satisfying crunch of corn chips, loaded with nice warm chili beans, and topped with cool vegan sour cream.

• 1 bag original fritos
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 soyrizo link
  
• 1 can (15 oz.) fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 can (11 oz.) southwest style corn
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin powder
• vegan sour cream

to make your soyrizo chili, crumble your soyrizo and place a large nonstick skilled on medium heat. drain the chili beans and add to the skillet along with the garlic, cumin, and onion powder. use a spatula to sauté for approximately 2-3 minutes. drain corn completely and slightly drain fire roasted tomatoes and pour both into skillet. (to slightly drain the tomatoes, open the can but keep the lid on. turn over in the sink one time, but don't compress the lid to force liquid out.) continue simmering chili mixture for approximately for about 5 minutes, or until liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated.

sometimes i buy tofutti vegan sour cream, but i found this recipe for tofu sour cream on vegweb.com. with a couple extra dashes of lemon juice, it really makes a nice cheap substitute for mexican dishes.

even though my pictures shows a plate, take my word for it - use a bowl. place a nice thick layer of fritos (original and bbq are vegan) on the bottom and spoon several scoops of the chili mixture on top. top with a few dollops of sour cream and chow down on some yummy nostalgia.

warm sesame cabbage slaw

i love the bagged dole/generic slaw mixes you can buy at the grocery store - usually for 99 cents! i usually keep at least one or two in my fridge at all times for quick lunches or dinner additions. if you check my tags for cabbage, you'll see quite a few recipes because it can be used in so many genres of food. this recipe is just a nice warm sesame slaw that i make for small lunches or dinner sides.

• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 pkg. dole slaw mix (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1½ tablespoons bragg liquid aminos
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter (earth balance)
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

heat sesame oil on medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. add in the cabbage and sauté for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat. mix in the rest of ingredients except sesame seeds (the margarine is optional, but gives it more savory flavor). continue sautéing for about 5 minutes, until the cabbage is tender. add in the sesame seeds and give it a couple more tosses before removing from heat.

serve warm. i really like to give it a light coat of the ginger-miso dressing from matthew kenney's everyday raw. the book is awesome, so you should definitely pick up a copy. in the meantime, you can find the dressing recipe here.