What Do Vegans Eat? Food that Rocks!

I made a couple of recipes from "Vegan with a Vengeance" this week that I've never made before. This is an awesome cookbook from the Post-Punk Kitchen founder Isa Chandra Moskowitz. This isn't a cookbook that requires you to buy a bunch of obscure and expensive ingredients. It's full of simple, economical, and, so far, delicious recipes. I neglected to take pictures of the food before we ate it. You'll just have to take me at my word when I say they looked delicious as well. Here are the recipes. Let me know if you try either.

Apple Pie-Crumb Cake Muffins

for muffins:
1 and 1/2 c flour
1/4 c plus 2 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1/8 t ground cloves
1/4 t salt
3/4 c apple cider
1/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c grated apple
1/2 c chopped apple (1/4-inch pieces)

for topping:
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground allspice
pinch of salt
3 T canola oil

Prepare the topping by mixing all of the dry topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle the oil in while mixing with your fingertips until crumbs form. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Create a well in the center and add the apple cider, oil, and vanilla. Mix, then fold in the grated and chopped apple.

Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full. Sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin. Bake for 22 minutes.

Tempeh Reuben Makes four sandwiches.

8 slices good, dark pumpernickel bread
8 t nonhydrogenated margarine
1 and 1/2 c sauerkraut
2 dill pickles, thinly sliced
1 avocado, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound tempeh, cut into four equal pieces, then cut through the middle so that you have eight thin squares

for the marinade:
1/2 c white cooking wine
2 T olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, smashed

for the dressing:
1/3 c Vegannaise
2 T ketchup
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T minced onion
3 t capers
2 T sweet pickle relish (or equivalent amount chopped pickles)
a pinch of cayenne

Prepare the tempeh:
Combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the tempeh and marinate for at least one hour, turning once.

Mix together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.

When the tempeh has marinated for an hour, preheat a grill pan over high heat. Cook the slices on the grill for 4 minutes on one side, until dark grill lines have appeared, then use tongs to flip them over and cook on the other side for about 3 minutes.

Prepare the sandwich:

Spread a teaspoon of margarine on each piece of bread. Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Fry each piece of bread on the buttered side for 3 minutes, flip over and cook one minute more.

Divide the ingredients equally among four buttered-side-down fried bread slices. Smother in dressing, top each serving with another slice of fried bread, nonbuttered side down, cut in half, and serve.

Yummy Vegan Food

I tried a new recipe the other night that I would like to share with you. The pic is a little steamy. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to take the shot before I plated the food. Sorry. I think you can still get an idea of how yummy this looks though. I think this is a dish that non-vegans would enjoy as much as we vegans do. It's from the latest issue of Vegetarian Times (February).



Stir-Fried Shitake Mushrooms with Tofu and Bok Choy
Serves 4

1 t cornstarch
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 t minced fresh ginger
2 t Thai chile sauce, such as sriracha
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 t)
1 t sesame oil
3 T canola oil, divided
1 14-oz. Package extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 lb. bok choy, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups sliced fresh shitake mushrooms (I used a wild mushroom mix.)

1. Whisk together cornstarch and 1 t water in bowl. Whisk in soy sauce, ginger, chile sauce, garlic, and sesame oil.
2. Heat 1 T canola oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry tofu 7 minutes, or until golden brown; transfer to plate. Add 1 T oil to pan. Stir-fry bok choy 4 minutes; transfer to plate.
3. Add remaining 1 T oil to pan. Stir-fry mushrooms 2 minutes, or until tender. Return tofu and bok choy to pan. Stir in soy sauce mixture, and stir-fry 1 minute, or until hot.

This and That

Soooo...here I am, still waiting for my sister-in-law Paige to push out that baby and trying to focus on creating a blog post. It's been a while again, I know. I'm clearly having some difficulty keeping on top of it this summer. Since I am presently so distracted, this post is going to be a little of this and a little of that. Stick with me. I'll be back to my normal blogging self in no time.

What Do Vegans Eat?



We eat well. I realize this isn't such a great picture. I'm embarrassed about the Gladware shot. However, we were so hungry when we originally ate the meal that we didn't get a shot of our plates in advance. I took this one the next day. I didn't even manage to get a photo of the rest of the meal. You'll have to use your imaginations. The recipe for the potato salad came from one of my favorite cookbooks, Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson. There are loads of amazing recipes in this book. I haven't even managed to scratch the surface. This was my first time serving this salad. I was skeptical at first. Green olives in potato salad? That sounds like something my father-in-law would do. I mean this is a man who once tasted a mimosa blossom! I'll say it again. Green olives in potato salad? It totally rocked. I encourage you to try this served over a bed of fresh baby field greens. As with all potato salads, this is ridiculously easy to make and, of course, tastes even better the second day. As usual, I was unable to completely stick with the recipe. My changes are in parenthesis. Enjoy it! (That's a command, by the way.)

"Close to Mom's Potato Salad"

1.5 lbs red or white waxy potatoes
1 inner celery rib, minced (I used 1.5 outer ribs.)
2 tablespoons grated onion (I used an entire small onion, minced.)
1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives (I added a few extras.)
3/4 cup soy mayonnaise (I used Vegannaise.)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
paprika (I forgot this ingredient.)

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to boil until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

2. Peel the potatoes (I skipped this step.), cut into bite-sized chunks, and place in a large serving bowl. Add the celery, onion, and olives and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the soy mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and add to the potato mixture, stirring gently to combine. Sprinkle the top with paprika. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This is best eaten within a day or two of being made.

Serves 4 to 6.

We had another of our favorite dishes with the potato salad. This one was created by the aforementioned sister-in-law. Since I don't have a photo of the dish, I thought I'd share a picture of her. This one was taken at an art/music show in Huntington, WV, where I was born. My brother-in-law, Ben, aka Bengineer, aka the Solo Buffalo played a set early and we were able to take LB and Mea. Paige, as usual, was the snack master. However, instead of her typical bag of fruit, she bought some chips and cookies. I thought she looked pretty funny packing junk food around in her current state. Anyway, she's a vegetarian and wanted to create something like a barbecued chicken pizza. She then used the same recipe to create what we refer to as "Barbecued Chickie Sandwiches." They are good served with a lettuce leaf, tomato slice and vegannaise or a generous portion of vegan cole slaw. This is so easy to make that you just can't not try it.

"Barbecued Chickie"

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 package of seitan or Morningstar Farms Chick'n Strips
Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce, to taste
K.C. Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce, to taste
lettuce leaves
tomato slices
whole wheat buns, toasted

1. Heat oil in an oven-safe pan on medium heat and saute' the garlic until it starts to brown. Add the chik'n and brown. Once the chik'n is evenly browned, add both barbecue sauces to taste (I usually coat it well and then add a little extra.).

2. Place pan of barbecued chik'n under a broiler and watch closely. Broil until slightly blackened.

3. Serve with toasted buns, lettuce and tomato, or your favorite toppings.

Serves 4-6.

Current Projects

I've got some projects that I've been working on for a while and am about to finish. Finally! My mother-in-law's patchwork porch throw is almost bound! This is the most tortuous part for me. I hate to bind! It is sooo tedious. It's worth it though. The finished product makes me forget the torture I just endured! Here's the throw now. You can see part of the completed binding. I'm really liking the way this turned out and wish I could keep it for myself. Alas, it is Robin's birthday/Mother's Day gift (I know, I know...I'm always dreadfully behind).I'm also about to finish an afghan for someone else, but I can't yet divulge the recipient. It's top secret. I'm using three colors, as you can see. One is chocolate brown and the others are shades of blue. This is my first attempt at making granny squares. I found an awesome site some time ago called crochet cabana. She explains different stitches and shapes step-by-step. I believe you could teach yourself to crochet using her site alone.

Look for a new etsy "Back to School" gift guide in the next day or two.

What Do Vegans Eat?

Reading the "Passionate Vegetarian" got me in the mood to post some recipes I have been planning to share for a little while. I made this meal last week. It's a favorite in our household and isn't difficult to make. The tempeh recipe comes from the Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza. The Candle Cafe is an awesome restaurant in New York City that Tim and I were obsessed with while living there. It was small and sometimes required a wait, but it was totally worth it. The seitan chimichurri was our absolute favorite. It's out of this world. If you're ever in NYC, be sure to check it out. The recipe I used from the cookbook is "Cornmeal Crusted Tempeh" and can be found on page 121 of the cookbook. I also made steamed kale and smashed sweet potatoes, which are my own very simple recipes. The recipes for all three are at the bottom of this post. Yes, I ate that much kale. I love kale, but probably not as much as my friend Erin. She rhapsodises about kale on Facebook frequently. She's headed to Tbilisi next month. I hope she'll be able to find plenty of kale while there.

Update on "First Darling of the Morning:" I've read two chapters and it is breaking my heart. I had to make myself put it down.

The etsy challenge is almost to an end, but, alas, there is no reason to worry. I'm starting a new challenge Monday with quite a few of my etsy street team, etsygreetings, members. We will all be posting items every day and keeping our readers updated every day. We will also be featuring items from one another's shops. Here's my item of the day, just posted in my etsy shop.

A Gift


Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh (Serves 4)

2 8-ounce packages, tempeh, each cut into thirds
1/2 c shoyu or tamari sauce
3 T maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 slices of fresh ginger
1/2 cup medium-to fine-ground cornmeal

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teasoon ground cumin
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Place the tempeh in a baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the shoyu or tamari sauce, 1/2 cup of water, the maple syrup, garlic, and ginger and pour over the tempeh. Cover and bake for one hour. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Drain and cut the tempeh into halves or triangles.

3. In a large shallow bowl, mix together the cornmeal, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, cumin and sea salt. Dip the tempeh pieces intot he cornmeal mixture to coat.

4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Cook the coated tempeh until golden brown, about a minute per side.

5. Remove from the heat and serve at once.

Steamed Kale (Serves 4)

2 bunches of kale, cleaned and chopped
1/4 cup of water
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
oil and crumbs left at the bottom of the pan the tempeh was fried in

1. Place the kale in a large pot with the water and cover. Steam on medium heat, turning often with tongs. You must watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn.

2. As it begins to wilt, add salt and pepper.

3. Once the kale is fully wilted, drizzle the oil and crumbs over the top of the kale and serve.

Smashed Sweet Potatoes (Serves 4)

4 medium yams or sweet potatoes, quartered
water
soy margarine to taste

1. Fill a large saucepan with water and add sweet potatoes. Cook over medium-high heat until fork tender.

2. Drain potatoes and smash, using a pastry blender.

3. Add butter and stir until well-combined. Serve.