Red Chile Tempeh

Again, a sucky picture, as there is no longer daylight to help enhance my poor photography...

Anyway, Friday Night is "Mexican Night" in the Tofu-Mom household. (I think I may have mentioned that before.) Usually it involves some sort of Taco-Burrito-crunchy-cheezy-wrapped-up beany thing of my children's choosing; and those options are always good. But tonight, by an unusual twist of fate, I was home alone (oh noes!) and decided to do Mexican Night MY way.


First off, I have been craving red chile sauce. Not some vinegary hot sauce or tomato-y salsa, but the genuine New Mexico stuff; smokey, earthy rich red sauce made from dried, ground Hatch Red Chiles and that's about all.

Nothing else like it - try it if you happen to have a wonderful friend in New Mexico who will keep you supplied! It's not painful-hot, like eating straight cayenne pepper would be; but still a little intense for my kids; That's OK, more for me, and a perfect choice for my solo supper.

So this is what I did: using my crock-pot/slow cooker, I simmered some chunks of tempeh in my beautiful red chile sauce until the tempeh completely soaked up the sauce and fell apart. It was DEE-lish! I made a side of "cheezy rice" (without the brocolli) to go with, and watched Food Network to my heart's content, happy as a little vegan clam.

Red Chile Tempeh

2 tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup ground red chiles
3 cups cold water
1 package tempeh, cubed

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute.
3. Gradually add the water and stir, making sure that no lumps form.
4. Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add cubed tempeh and simmer over very low heat until tempeh has absorbed flavors and sauce has reduced and is very thick. (I cooked it on low in a crockpot for about four hours).
6. Serve over rice, or in tortillas. Which I didn't, as you can see by my picture.

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I'll leave you with these lovelies.

Chantrelles.

Fresh from the woods near here. What a TREAT! A friend (whom I trust to know his mushroom varities) dropped them off today. I'll have to think of something appropriate to make ...

Vegan Munchies!!

Vegans don't eat tofu and sprouts all the time. (OK, you know I just had to say that).

Seriously, these last couple days we've been busy with back-to-school shopping and appointments and as a result, have had rather unstructured mealtimes.
So, we've done a lot of shameless snacking. But hey - I figure snacking is worth blogging about too.

First up, we have Indian spiced, crunchy roasted chickpeas. You know they're the same as garbanzos, right?

(Yes, there are 565767 versions of these in every veggie cookbook and blog out there, I have no idea where I got the original recipe, but it's morphed so much from the original I think it's fine to post...).

Crunchy-Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

-- 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained well and blotted dry (Note: I have always cooked my own chickpeas/garbanzos from dry beans, so I have no idea how this would work with canned, but I assume very much the same..)
-- 2 tsp. olive oil
-- 1/2 tsp. Indian Black Salt (which adds a rich smoky, sulphuric Indian taste, or just use regular salt if that's all you have...)
-- 1/2 tsp. cumin
-- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
-- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
-- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
-- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like things too spicy)
*Pretty much, just use 2 - 3 teaspoons of whatever spices you like. These just happen to be my favorites.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the chickpeas with olive oil in a bowl, until coated. Then sprinkle on seasonings and spread chickpeas on a nonstick bakingsheet.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, stirring several times.

And next we have a summer-garden inspired Italian twist on a Mexican-ish snack. Pesto may sound totally bizarre in a tortilla but it's a huge favorite in this house. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it.

Pesto Quesadillas

-- 3 Tbsp. your favorite pesto (here's my Pesto Recipe)
-- 1 smallish portbella mushroom, sliced thin (optional)
OR 1 garden-ripe tomato, sliced very thin
-- 6 large flour tortillas
-- 6 slices vegan cheese, your choice (I used Galaxy vegan Rice Slices 'cause they melt pretty well)

Spread pesto thinly on 3 tortillas - aprox 1 Tbsp. each.
If using mushrooms, sautee portabella slices briefly over high heat in a lightly greased skillet until lightly cooked. Lay mushroom (or tomato) slices on top of pesto.

Tear or cut cheese slices into strips and distribute over mushrooms/tomatoes. Place additional tortillas on top of the three "filled" ones.

Wipe skillet out after browning mushrooms. Heat to medium-high. Carefully (carefully!!) place filled tortilla in pan and cook several minutes until browning. (Or do these in a "George Forman" type grill, I don't have one but friends do and they are GREAT that way!!)

Turn and cook on the other side until cheese is melty and tortilla is crispy and browned, lowering heat if necessary. Repeat with other two tortillas.

Cut into wedges and serve with whatever dipping sauce. We opted for marinara tonight.

Vegan-Cheesy Zucchini and Corn Casserole

MMMmmmm... supper last night, full of garden yumminess...

That yellow blob is a zucchini and corn casserole I stole from Paula Deen or someone over at Food Network and completely re-wrote and veganized as my own. Sorry for the disjointed recipe, I sorta scribbled it as I cooked...

Also, we had some heirloom tomatoes, and quinoa with carmelized onions.

"Cheesy" Zucchini and Corn Casserole

5 or so tender zucchini (about 8 inch long), sliced or chopped

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 lg. garlic clove, minced

1 can or 1 cup frozen or fresh corn

1/4 cup roasted green chiles (optional, I didn't have them when I took this picture but added them the next time...)

1 Tbsp. dry vegetarian "chicken-flavor" bullion-broth powder

1/4 cup water

Saute onions and garlic in several tsp. coconut oil or vegan margarine until tender-crisp.

Add zucchini and corn (and chiles if using), sprinkle with broth powder and water, cover pan and saute until zucchini and corn is tender. Check to make sure mixture stays "juicy".

SAUCE:
Make a medium cream sauce, using the juice drained from cooked zucchini.

Add soymilk to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring to boil in small sauce pan.

Mix 2 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water.

Add to hot soymilk and cook, stirring with a wire whisk, until thickened. Turn heat very low.

Whisk in 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or umeboshi vinegar), 1/2 tsp onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. (Add a sprinkle of turmeric if you like the yellow "cheesey" color.)

Remove from heat.

Pour sauce over zucchini mixture.

Pour in 9 X 9 casserole pan, top with bread crumbs, cracker crumbs or french-fried onions if you want. Bake 20 min at 350 until sauce is bubbly.

Vegan Pizza again. Yum again.

Omni Question #448484756 that I'm SO TIRED of answering...

"But how can you stand it? I could NEVER go vegan. I'd miss PIZZA way too much."

Yay! Vegan pizza. The stuff rocks! And we're a pizza-loving family, I have to tell you.

OK, so I usually make crust with my sourdough starter, but when I don't have an entire Sunday to devote to pizza-crust baking... I admit, I cheat.

Well, it's not "cheating" so much as a GREAT short-cut!
This crust is from my locally-owned "take and bake" joint. They'll sell me a plain, untopped one of their (vegan) "take-and-bake" crusts, unbaked of course, for just over a buck.

Way cheaper and much faster than I can make myself. And it's right on the way home, so I grab a "real" pizza for the cheese-heads (my kids) and plain crust for myself. Then while their pizza bakes, I'll concoct my own amazing vegan gourmet pizza - "plain" crust it is no longer!

Tonight I layered sundried tomatoes, fresh spinach, fresh sliced tomatoes. Then sprinkled on some of the amazing and quite realistic "Tofu Feta" that I tested for Melody over at MELOMEALS.

After that, some pumpkin seeds in keeping with fall, harvest and because I thought they sounded tasty. Last I topped it all with "cheese" sauce and baked it about 12 minutes.

Who says vegan food has to take a long time?
Who says you have to give up GOOD pizza?

I'm continually perfecting the "ultimate" vegan chees-y sauce. This combination was very quick and easy, AND quite good, set up nice and creamy on the pizza yet didn't dry out or get weird.
But I realize not everyone has umeboshi vinegar or jarred pimentos in their cupboard so it may not be as "quick and easy" for you....

Another Yummy Vegan Cheese Sauce

1/4 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 ounces pimientos (half of a 4 oz. jar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
2 teaspoons Umeboshi plum vinegar
1/2-1 teaspoon salt

Rinse cashews with hot water while combining the remaining ingredients (except chiles) in a blender.
Add cashews to blender and process on high for 1-2 minutes.
Cook in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Drizzle over pizza and bake, or keep in fridge for when you need something "cheesy".

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I'll close with a picture of late-night visitors to our back porch (with the embarrassingly filthy window as you can tell...).

These (there's usually three!) guys are always hoping the cats have left a few crumbs of catfood, but the cats know better!
So off they go to try and pry open the raccoon-proof garbage can lids...

Vegan Lasagna-of-Decadence

Totally Cheesy Vegan Lasagna!

I know, it's usually impossible to say "wonderfully-rich-and-cheesy" and "Vegan" in the same breath, but this lasagna is pretty close. Oh man!

I have been tweaking this recipe for ages and finally think it's about right. Not watery. (which I hate-hate-hate). Not too saucy. Not any "fake-cheese-taste". Nothing to make omnis look skeptical... (and even though I usually add 'em, tonight, no veggies to make the kids look skeptical).

OK, if you gave up cheese yesterday and still insanely miss the ultra-gooey-stretchy-stringy-meltyness of "real" mozzarella, you might not be totally fooled. I'll give you that.

There's no gloppy-greasy-clog-your-arteries animal extracts here. But I promise, for almost any open-minded still-slightly-cheese-wistful vegan, this is pretty good (and VERY rich!!) schtuff!

Sorry about the picture, of course tonight we over-baked the lasagna something awful and even though it still tasted heavenly, I wasn't about to make a second batch just for a purty picture...

LASAGNA:

First, you'll need:

"Cheesy" Lasagna Filling

1 Cup of soy or rice milk, heated but not boiling!
1/2 Cup of raw cashews
1 block of firm tofu
1/2 carton Tofutti Cream Cheese
1/8 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of onion powder
1/4 Cup of nutritional yeast flakes*
2 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
2 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh herb leaves (I use a mixture of basil, oregano, sage, parsley and rosemary)

In food processor or GOOD blender (like a Vitamix) place the very warm milk and cashews in first, blend until liquefied, (careful, hot liquids can splatter) then put in the rest of the ingredients and blend until thick and creamy.

To assemble lasagna, you will need the following ingredients:

8 cups of your favorite tomato or spaghetti sauce
Spinach leaves (if you want, I didn't use it 'cause I have a spinach-hater)
Sliced, sauteed portabellas (again with the vegetable-hating children, so I left this out tonight...sigh)
1 box lasagna noodles (I used the "no-boil" noodles)
Cheesy filling mixture (recipe above)
Deep 9 X 12 lasagna pan
foil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To begin, pour a layer of tomato sauce mixed with 1 Tbsp. olive oil across the pan and spread it out with a spoon. (The olive oil keeps the bottom layer from sticking or scorching.)

Next, place a layer of noodles in the pan. I overlap them a bit even though it says not to on the package.
Spread 'cheesy' mixture fairly thickly across noodles.
Add spinach and/or mushrooms if you're using.
More sauce, another layer of noodles.
More cheese, spinach, mushrooms, etc... keep layering and end with sauce and top with cheese.
'Tent' tinfoil over the pan (so it completely covers the pan but doesn't touch the surface). Make sure that the foil is closed down on all sides so that the sauce won't dry out (as mine did). Next, place it in the oven for 60 - 70 minutes on 375 degrees.

Remove foil. If it's too juicy, or you want the top more brown, bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.

If you want a more "melted-mozzarella" type cheesy look on top, shred some 'Follow Your Heart' mozzarella on top the hot lasagna, put under the broiler for about 30 seconds or JUST until "cheese" melts (or liquefies).

Let set for 5 minutes to set up, and serve. Fight your kids off with a stick for the leftovers. Yum.

Vegan 'Cheese' Sauce (Don't knock it 'till you try it)

Vegan cheese that tastes "cheesy"... is there such a thing?
Well, in a word, NO!
However, if you're desperate - or curious like we were, there IS this stuff. It's a sauce sorta-thing made with nutritional yeast and stuff. It IS sorta "cheesy" and sorta not. I'm really struggling with the whole cheese thing right now, so it's a tough sell for me, but it's still good and definitely worth a try. My kids'll eat it on crackers or chips, rice or pasta, though they still like good ol' Kraft too, so, I'm continuing to experiment with it...
I can verify that it's actually pretty good (it grows on you, give it a chance!) in mac-n-cheese or cheezy broccoli rice (pictures and recipes follow).

'Cheeze' Whiz

1 (15.5oz or about 1 1/2 cups) can Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans rinsed well and drained

1/2 cup pimiento pieces, drained
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon onion granules
1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (use the plain old American hot dog mustard)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until completely smooth. Transfer to a storage container (preferably glass) and chill thoroughly before serving.
Great on crackers and sandwiches, or in almost any recipe that calls for cheddar cheese. Spread it on buns and serve with vegetarian burgers or add a few spoonfuls to soups or sauces to turn them into cheezy delights.

1.) For Mac-n-'Cheeze':
Simply mix the above recipe with some cooked, hot pasta - any shape or variety.

Place in a casserole dish and bake until bubbly and crispy on the edges.
I use whole wheat pasta and add peas, though the girls prefer "no veggies please" in their mac-n-cheeze.

2.) For Cheezy Broccoli Rice:

Mix above sauce with desired amount of cooked rice and some barely cooked broccoli flowers.

(I use white rice for this, for some reason the brown rice always gets very weirdly textured and 'gummy'...)

Bake until heated through. Top with vegan cheese shreds if you want, I usually add a bit of chopped red pepper for color. Yum, my kids LOVE this...