Vegan Pad Thai

So excited for this one. I've been wanting to make it for a while so I ran to the market today to grab the last few ingredients. The picture below is deceiving because a couple of the ingredients are missing and I forgot to put away the coconut milk I bought, so that's on there for some reason.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil
• Firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used half of a normal block)
• Sliced baby portobello mushrooms, about a cup, chopped
• Two small sweet peppers, sliced
• Two green onions, chopped and separated into greens and whites
• Spinach, about two cups
• Vegetable stock, 1/3 to 1/2 cup
• Soy sauce, 1/4 cup
• Brown sugar, two tablespoons
• Cilantro, one cup, chopped
• Lime, about the juice of a half a lime
• Dry roasted, no salt peanuts, about 1/3 cup, chopped
• Peanut butter, one tablespoon
• Rice noodles, about 8 ounces, half of the Thai Kitchen box I have in the pic
• Ginger, grated, about a teaspoon
• Two cloves of garlic, minced
• One carrot, shredded
• One tablespoon of chili paste, I used sambal oelek
• Bean sprouts, about a cup

I think thats it. If I think of anything else, I'll mention it along the way.
I made the rice noodles to specifications, which says to boil the water, turn it off, and then put the noodles in and let sit for about 8 minutes. Then I drained and rinsed with cool water to stop the cooking.

Then, I heated some veg oil in a wok until very hot. Added the tofu and some salt and pepper (forgot those in the ingredient list, but those should be in everything). Sautéed for about 6 or 7 minutes until browned on all sides. Then I put the cooked tofu in a bowl and set aside.

I brought the oil back up to temp and added the carrot, mushrooms, white parts of the green onions and sautéed for just a minute. Then added the minced garlic and grated ginger with the chili paste. Cooked for another 30 seconds then added the spinach, and a mixture of the soy sauce, veg stock, peanut butter, lime juice, and sugar.

Sautéed that on high until the spinach was wilted. Then I added the tofu back in and the rice noodles along with the bean sprouts, cilantro, and green parts of the green onions and mixed it all to heat it all through.

Then, I topped it all with more cilantro, green onion, and some chopped peanuts. Nom nom!

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Kale chips!

I did it. I let my kale grow way too big this time. I knew it would happen. I might get three rounds (that's two baking sheets full per round) of kale chips this time!

Ridiculous! Anyway, on to the kale chips!

(Please forgive this shot, we're replacing some cracked tiles in our kitchen at the moment)

You will need:

1 bunch of kale

Olive oil

Zatarains seasoning

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear kale leaves apart into "chip" sized pieces (about 2 inches in diameter, they shrink a lot when you bake them). Wash them under cold water. Discard the woody stems, they don't crisp up well. Pat kale dry with clean kitchen towel.

Lay out on baking sheets and drizzle with just a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with the seasoning (you can also use s&p with a bit of cayenne, but I've found Zatarains is a great all-in-one).

Put baking sheets in oven and bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Take kale out and stir. Put back in oven for 1-2 more minutes and then turn oven off. Let sit in oven for 10 minutes or so or until kale is fully dry. Make sure to watch these baking steps as kale has a tendency to go from wilted to charred in about 30 seconds if you're not watching and every oven is different.

See how much they shrink up?

Enjoy!

 

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili (Vegan and Gluten Free)

1 cup water
1/2 cup quinoa
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (add more if you want it spicier)
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups frozen corn
1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped (I use a kitchen shears to cut them right in the can)
15-20 oz. vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Bring 1/2 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil in saucepan, let simmer for 15-20minutes until light and fluffy and set aside.
3. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into small squares and coat in olive oil and s&p. Lay out on a sheet pan and roast in theoven for 20-25 minutes.
4. In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add chili powder, cayenne powder, and paprika and sauté, while stirring, for 30 seconds.
5. Add remaining ingredients, cooked quinoa, and roasted sweet potatoes and cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Optional: I used an immersion blender in the chili for just a few seconds here and there at the very end. I wanted it to be a little thicker and denser. The consistency was perfect for me after this!

 

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Vegan squash bisque with pita chips

I got a new immersion blender for Christmas and I was SO EXCITED to use it. I just really wanted the first time to be special, so I waited for the right moment. I've been looking at squash bisque recipes for some time, and have been craving it for a while so, I thought this would be a perfect inauguration. I opted for vegan since I've just been trying to cut down on meat and dairy and found a couple recipes that seemed amazing. I also added home made pita chips at the last minute since I also like something crunch with my soups.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 butternut squash
One tetra box of veggie broth (I think it's 14oz.?)

Spices (which I never measure, but I know I used less cinnamon and nutmeg than the others because I didn't want it to be overly sweet): red pepper flake, s&p, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Powdered soy milk (I mixed 1/8 of a cup of powder with about 3/4 cup of water)

I quarter the butternut squash, covered the cut parts with olive oil and s&p and roasted, cut side up in a 425 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes until fork tender

During that time, I sautéed the onions, carrots, celery, and red pepper flake in olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes). Then I added garlic, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and s&p and turned the heat to low.

During this time, I wondered what felt so odd about cooking tonight, and I realized I hadn't poured myself a glass of wine yet. So I remedied that by opening a bottle of 2 buck Chuck.

When the squash was done, I scooped it out and added it to the pot with the sautéed veggies and spices, leaving the skin behind. Then I added the veggie broth and brought to a simmer.

After simmering for a few minutes, I used my immersion blender to purée the mixture. Then I added the soy milk.

I decided it needed some crunch, so I cut up some pita bread into triangles, sprayed with olive oil spray and coated with garlic salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and oregano and put in toaster oven until crispy.

I served the bisque sprinkled with paprika and chopped fresh parsley.

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Vegan Chili

Ingredients:

2 peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 can black beans, drained
1 can white beans, drained
1 can diced tomato
1 pkg. BOCA Veggie Ground Crumbles
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
1.5 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pkg. gelled, concentrated Knox veggie stock
1/2 cup boiling water
S&P to taste

I sautéed the peppers and onion in a little olive oil and added the garlic a few minutes later. Then added the rest of the ingredients and simmered for about 20 minutes. Served with Daiya cheese and chopped fresh parsley. So, so yummy and really easy!

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Vegan Greek lentil & rice soup with kale chips

Greek Soup:

1.5 cups of lentils
1.5 cups of rice
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 ribs of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup frozen peas
5 cups hot water
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon, split in half
Olive oil
S&P, Greek seasoning (from Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in GR), red pepper flakes, 2 bay leaves, chopped Italian parsley



Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in stock pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, and red pepper flakes (to taste) sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add about 2 good tablespoons of Greek seasoning, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, pepper, lemon zest, 1/2 of the lemon juice, rice, lentils, and water to pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Add frozen peas and test rice and lentils for done-ness. I let mine simmer for a few more minutes. Serve in bowl with some of the remaining fresh lemon juice, fresh cracked black pepper, and parsley.

Kale chips:

5 leaves of kale, with ribs removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Olive oil

S&P, red pepper flakes

Combine all in bowl, lay in single layer on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. (Use less olive oil and salt than you think you will need, mine were just a little too salty and oily than I would prefer, but still very tasty!)

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Vegan Aloo Matar

The Indian food in London was some of the best cuisine I've ever tasted. Since then, I've been so intrigued by the favors... they're very different than what I'm used to and sort of intimidating. Searched around a bit today for some more vegan recipes and found this. So simple and I had everything at home already!

Ingredients:

Olive oil, 1/2 an onion, 2 cloves garlic, about 1 inch of fresh ginger grated, 4 red skin potatoes, 1 cup of frozen peas, 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes, red pepper flakes, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala (I made my own), cilantro, and s&p.

I sautéed the onion with red pepper flakes, cumin, and turmeric until softened (however much of these seasonings you like, we like it hot!). Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, diced potatoes, peas, chili powder, and s&p (again to your taste). Also add about 3 cups of hot water. Cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Take cover off, turn off heat, add chopped cilantro and garam masala. Serve over rice.

 

 

 

 

 

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Split pea soup

My mom texted me just a few days ago saying that she was making split pea soup. Ever since then, I couldn't get it out of my mind! So I decided to check out a vegetarian recipe and give it a whirl without the normal ham pieces.

Ingredients:

1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, 2 potatoes, and 4 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon each of sage, thyme, and cumin, 3 bay leaves, 3 tablespoons of hot & spicy mustard, and s&p to taste

2 cups dried split peas and 6 cups of stock (ok, so I have to admit, I used about 3 cups of chicken stock that I had made a few weeks ago and kept in the freezer, 1.5 cups of veggie stock, and 1.5 cups of water. This chicken stock, made by cooking an entire chicken in the crockpot with one bottle of white wine, Italian seasoning and s&p was just too good to throw away! I guess I can say I'm becoming more vegetarian right now, but not quite there yet)

 

I sautéed the chopped onion, celery, carrots, garlic, potatoes in some olive oil for a few minutes. Ten I added the seasonings, mustard, split peas and stock. Brought to a boil and then simmered with the lid cracked ever so slightly for about 50 minutes. I then took about 2/3 of the mixture and blended it coarsely in the blender. I mashed the remaining 1/3 with a potato masher. Added back the blended mixture and mixed thoroughly. I still wanted some texture to the soup, so I didn't blend it all.

 

 

So great for a cold winter night! Will have to make this again soon with all veggie stock.

 

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Vegetarian double decker tacos

I saw this lentil taco "meat" recipe on a friend's site a few months back (vegbonvivant.wordpress.com. Seriously, go here for so many good veggie and vegan recipes!) and have been waiting for the right time to try it. So, thank you Adrienne, for this amazing meal!

I started with sautéing one onion, red pepper flakes, and 5 cloves of garlic garlic in olive oil. Then added cumin, ancho and chipotle chili powder, oregano, s&p and one bag of dried lentils to the pan. Sautéed for a few minutes, then added about 6 cups of vegetable broth. Brought to a boil, then lowered the heat, and simmered, covered, for about 35 minutes. Uncovered, added one can of chili style diced tomatoes and simmered for another 10 minutes until soft. I used veggie style canned retried beans in between shells, veggie cheese, lettuce, cilantro, and lime juice on top. So very yummy, and I put half the batch in the freezer for next time!

 

 

 

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Veggie hash breakfast

Really craving lots of veggies upon waking today. Good thing too because we've got veggies over taking our fridge right now from our garden.

I started by sautéing some chopped carrots and green peppers from the garden with some red pepper flakes. After a few minutes, I added the onion and fennel bulb veggie mix from Thursday night and some of the chopped potato pancakes from Wednesday. Also added the rest of the left over mashed potatoes. Sautéed for a few more minutes until the mashed potatoes were brown and crispy. Topped with guacamole, fresh tomato, chopped green onion, and chopped parsley. Perfect veggie breakfast! G's breakfast also included a fried egg and sharp cheddar cheese. Nom!

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Sautéed onion and fennel salad with roasted salmon

Fennel bulb is one thing that I've never cooked with before. So I was excited to learn that fennel bulb goes really well with salmon, which we had in the freezer already!

First, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Then, I sautéed four chopped fennel bulbs, one very large chopped onion, and red pepper flakes in olive oil. After a few minutes I added some chopped garlic, s&p, lemon and lime zest, and Italian seasoning. After a few more minutes, I added the juice of said lemon and lime and then added 4 thawed salmon filets on top of this mixture. I put the whole pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. In that time, I microwaved a bag of frozen brown rice (best invention ever!). Serve with chopped green onion and chopped parsley.

 

 

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Sautéed greens and beans

Pair with any starch for a quick and tasty vegetarian meal!

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add red pepper flakes and chopped onion. Sauté a few minutes, then add 5 cloves of chopped garlic. Sauté a few more minutes. Add a can of drained beans ( I used pinto here bc that's what I had, but I've used canellini before). Also add a whole bunch of chopped and washed greens (I used Swiss chard and spinach). It will seem like too much to fit in the pan, but it wilts down a lot. Add s&p, some italian seasoning, a dash of nutmeg, and about 3/4 cup of veggie stock. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. G made mashed potatoes and potato pancakes for the base. Serve with chopped green onions and chopped fresh parsley.

 

 

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