Tortellini Tuscan Stew

My office manager photocopied this recipe out of Good Housekeeping for me. She said it was delicious. I haven't tried it yet, but I always lose photocopied pieces of paper.

1 (2 lb) butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into one inch cubes)
1 large zucchini (one inch cubes)
1 large yellow summer squash (one inch cubes)
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz green beans cut into 2 inch segments
1 can crushed tomatoes
12 oz veg broth
2 T. fresh oregano, chopped (or dried... whatEVER!)
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1 t. salt
1 package frozen tortellini/ravioli (Rising Moon Organics has several vegan varieties to choose form in the freezer section)
1 bag (5 oz) baby spinach

Throw everything except the raviolis and the spinach in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours (or high for 3). When you get home form work, it should look awesome. Turn it on high and stir in the raviolis and spinach for 10-15 min.

OM NOM NOM NOM.

Ridiculous junk food items that shouldn't be vegan, but are

I also refer to these items, among others as "accidentally vegan" or "so cheap/gross it's vegan"

1.  Oreos, Nutter Butters, and the majority of Meijer brand "Fudge Treasure" cookies, as well as Meijer Organics brand "Chipsters"
2. Kroger brand Orange Flavored Cinnamon Rolls
3. Sweet Spicy Chili (Purple Bag) Doritos
4. Goldberg's Peanut Chews
5.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch
6. Fruit By The Foot

so gross and good.

Vegan Lasagna

This one has a long ingredient list, but it worked out very well, so I am posting it anyhow

-Lasagna noodles
-mozzarella Daiya Cheese
-1 eggplant, sliced into small cubes
-1 c. chopped spinach
-4-5 button mushrooms, diced
-1 jar of tomato sauce
-1/2 a log of "Gimme Lean" sausage
-1/2 small onion, chopped''
-1 package of "firm" tofu
-2 T. vegan gourmet sour cream
-2 heaping T of nutritional yeast
-about 1/4 c. almond milk
-salt/basil to taste
-1 T. oil
-nonstick cooking spray/oil
-salt, garlic salt, basil, seasoning to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan, mix together the tomato sauce, onions, and sausage. Using a spoon, mash the sausage into bits while simmering on low, stirring occasionally. While you're doing that, saute the spinach, eggplant and mushroom in the 1 T. of oil in a skillet.Also bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

While those things are cooking, mix the firm (well squeezed-out) block of tofu, the sour cream, the milk, yeast, and seasoning in the blender. This makes a very convincing ricotta cheese layer.

By now, the water should be boiling, dump in your lasagna noodles... maybe about 25 of them depending on the size of your pan. Once they all sink into the water, take care to separate them so they don't stick together. You should not cook these until they are "done". They should be very very al dente, since they will continue cooking a bit more in the oven and you don't want them soggy. Mine took about 6-8 minutes, but they were whole wheat. Remove from heat, drain, rinse with cold water thoroughly.

By now the spinach mixture should be cooked and the sauce should have simmered enough. I use a large pyrex baking pan, but use whatever. Start laying. First put down a layer of nonstick cooking spray, then noodles, then spinach mixture with a bit of ricotta cheese. Then another noodle layer, then a sauce layer, then a noodle layer, then the remainder of the vegetables and sauce and all the ricotta, then a noodle layer, and top with daiya cheese. I suppose you could insert a layer of daiya anywhere you wanted, but I like it on top. Plus, I'm on a "diet" and with only 3/4 c. daiya, this recipe comes out to be approximately 200 calories per 1/16th square of this recipe.... sooooo... yea.

Caramel Corn

1.5 c. unpopped kernels
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. Earth Balance/any soy margarine
1/3 c. Agave/corn syrup/maple syrup
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2-1 c. peanuts, shelled (optional)
nonstick cooking spray/oil to grease a pan.

Preheat oven to 250. Pop the popcorn in an air popper, set aside. In a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, syrup, and salt together over medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture will begin to boil, and then get frothy. Let it go for 5 minutes at froth-stage stirring continuously all the while, then remove from heat. Immediately stir in the baking soda and the vanilla and pour the whole mixture over the popcorn which is in a greased baking pan. Stir thoroughly.

Cook for 60 minutes at 250 degrees fahrenheit stirring the mixture every 15 minutes. Let cool on paper (rip open a paper grocery bag and lay it flat, let it cool on there).

Vegan PF Chang's Orange Peel Beef Seitan aka "crappy mall Chinese Food"

Crappy mall food is one joy in life that was ripped from me in my silly decision to become vegan. BUT LO AND BEHOLD. I have made Crappy Mall Chinese Food-- specifically a rip of PF Chang's Orange Peel Beef.


1 package WestSoy Seitan
Sri Rocha Hot Sauce to taste (I used about 1 t.)
3 T. Bragg's (or any soy sauce)
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. flour
1 c. oil for frying

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix the seitan with the hot sauce, Bragg's, and garlic. Use a fork to separate any big pieces. Toss them in flour, dump them in the hot oil (dip the corner of one piece in to see if it starts to bubble to be sure that the oil is hot enough). Deep fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a metal strainer, and set on paper towel to cool/crisp up.

1 yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 c. mushrooms (any kind), chopped
1 c. frozen peas
1-2 t. chili garlic sauce (to taste)
any brand of "mandarin orange sauce" from the grocery store (avoid the "marinade" with soy sauce in it)
1/2 c. plain tomato sauce (secret ingredient)
3 T. Bragg's
1 T. oil

1 package of spaghetti, soba, or udon noodles (or rice)

Saute the garlic in the oil, add the onions and reduce heat. Saute until translucent. Add the vegetables in the order that you normally stir fry vegetables (carrots, then peas, mushrooms last). Add the Bragg's and the chili garlic sauce and let the stew for a few minutes. Mix in the orange sauce and the tomato sauce and the cooked noodles. At the VERY LAST COUPLE MINUTES add in the fried seitan. If you add it to early, it'll get soggy.

SO GOOD!

RICE PUDDING

We received some free "written off" brown rice from the food co-op. By "some" i mean about 6lbs. I'm not a fan of rice, really, but i AM a fan of pudding. Specifically rice pudding.

I soak my rice overnight (1:2 rice:water) ratio with about a tablespoon of something lactobacilli-containing-- plain kombucha or soy yogurt, in a covered tupperware. It supposedly makes it easier to digest. I don't rinse or drain in after soaking, it just goes straight to the stove for the usual 45 minutes.


Rice Pudding!

Ingredients:
3/4 c. cooked brown rice
1.5 c. almond milk (may have to add more if it thickens prematurely)
2 t. light brown sugar
1 T. white sugar
1/2 t. cardamom
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla extract
dash of salt

Simmer everything until it's rice pudding consistency adding more almond milk as you see fit, stirring often. Serve warm or cold. Garnish with almonds, cinnamon, raisins, or in my case, a ginger-o cookie.

BEST VEGAN FOOD IN ANN ARBOR, MI ACCORDING TO ME

I lived in Ann Arbor for 4 years as a non vegan and for 1 year as a vegan, after returning home from Philadelphia. I basically only live in the Ann Arbor area because of the food and my boyfriend. But here are my favorites.
1. Chia Shiang: on Packard (past Stadium): OMG. My friend took me here and I was a little resistant at first because I dislike change, but OMG THIS IS THE BEST PLACE EVER. Through the week they have vegan hot and sour soup, but not on weekends. The vegan wonton is so-so (cold when I got it), but the SESAME SUE PAO (fake beef) is one of the most delicious deep fried asian delights I've ever experienced.

2. Earthen Jar: on 5th Ave (just east of Main, just south of Liberty). Pay by the pound, probably about 80% vegan, and the entire restaurant is a shrine to Bob Marley. Weigh your plate first, wash your dishes in the back afterwards, and get a soy lassi.

3. Pita Kabob Grill: (William and State). "Megan's Falafel" is awesome, as is the cauliflower one, but get Megan's. The baklava is vegan, too. OH! And get a side of french fries with garlic sauce. The garlic sauce is vegan. Your order will likely be taken by a girl reading a fantasy novel with a skinny waist, or a broody teen in a Coheed and Cambria sweatshirt... she wasn't wearing it when I brought 1/2 of Dillinger Escape Plan in for lunch, which was probably lucky.

4. Exotic Bakery: (Plymouth Rd near N. Campus). An old Syrian man will microwave a plate full of delicious delights for you and point out all the vegan desserts. The restaurant looks like the front of their house probably looks like. I love it here. This should be way higher on the list.

5. Arbor Brewing Co: (on Washingston btw Main and 4th). Decent place to take nonvegan friends or family. They've heard of "vegan" which is sort of novel at most "pubfare" type places and usually have a vegan special-- or something that can easily be made vegan. Plus they have a tempeh burger if you don't like the special. The special is usually pretty sweet though.

***Truly, it would take A LOT to get me to go to somewhere other than these restaurants, but I do occasionally "mix it up"***

6. Eastern Flame: (next to the Fleetwood) open til like 4am. I went here after The Bang!. Their cheap 1/2 order of hummus or baba is delightful.

7. Sylvio's: (on North U. just east of State Street). Vegan pizza. I've had better, I've had worse. It's vegan pizza.

8. Arirang: (in the strip mall at Ann-Arbor Saline Rd and Water St. near the Outback). The stone bowl tofu bi bim bap without egg. Yum. Don't eat the mysterious things they bring out on the tray before hand. The "onions" are dried squids, and the "tofu squares" are some sort of egg custard... LESSON LEARNED.

9. Red Sea... BUT THEY CLOSED :(

10. People's Food Co-op/Cafe Verde: (Kerrytown). The hot bar food and especially the soup, are sorta bland, but I like it.

11. Jazzy Veggie: (on Main St near Vinology). Not awesome, but 100% vegan so you should go there anyway. A LOT of fake meat, which I don't really like. The chicken noodle was pretty good though.

That's it. I left out Seva because I think it sucks.

Thanksgiving 2010

Tempeh and Wild Mushroom Fricassee 
This is from an article the New York Times ran this year, but I'm having trouble finding the exact link. This is pretty much the recipe. It's super easy and so delicious and healthy and something like 320 calories in a whole cup sized serving. Not that anyone I know cares about that.
12 oz (1.5 packages) of tempeh
2 c. button mushrooms, chopped
2 c. crimini mushrooms, chopped
2 c. shitake mushrooms, chopped
2 portobella caps, degilled and chopped
2 large leeks, chopped finely
20 cloves of garlic, minced (seriously 20)
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. flour
1/4 c. white wine
12 oz (1 can) veg broth
salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley to taste
2 T. oil

It helps if you chop up all the veggies first, because things get moving pretty fast once you start cooking stuff, and it helps to have everything ready to add all at once. Chop the tempeh into small cubes and cook in the oil in a dutch oven until browned evenly. Medium-high heat is desirable. Once the tempeh is browned, pour in the white wine and the soy sauce and stir it up with the tempeh til everything boils off. Remove tempeh from pan and set aside. Put the sliced leeks, all the mushrooms, and the garlic in the dutch oven and simmer for a little, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour, then the seasonings, and finally the veg broth. Cover and let everything simmer in there for a little while, when it's nearly done, add back in the tempeh and simmer for about 5 minutes uncovered until some of the liquid evaporates/thickens. Make it the night before and reheat it about 20 minutes before it's time to eat.


Family Recipe Vegan Stuffing
1/2 a log of the "gimme lean" fake sausage, cooked and chopped up small
1/2 a loaf of stale white store brand bread, ripped into pieces
1/2 c. celery, sliced very thin
2 small yellow onions, sliced thin
2-3 T. earth balance stick
1 c. veg broth
salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley to taste

Sautee the onion in the butter on medium heat until translucent. Add in the celery and sautee for 5 more minutes. Add in the fake sausage, the bread and the seasonings. Slowly stir in the veg broth, using more or less based on the staleness of the bread. This is best as a "drier" stuffing. Reduce heat to low, so nothing burns to the bottoms and cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently/constantly.

Creamed Spinach
1/2 a package of frozen chopped spinach
1/3 a tub of tofutti better than creame cheese
1 T. earth balance
1-2 T. plain unflavored almond milk
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to taste

Thaw the spinach in a skillet with the earth balance over low-medium heat. Use a plate to cover the skillet so it defrosts more quickly.  Add the cream cheese and the seasonings. Slowly add the milk until the desired consistency is reached. I love the kick the cayenne gives it.

I also made my "usual" roasted garlic mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, both can be found in the way beginning of this blog with the tvp meatloaf. I also made a pecan pie which turned out really soupy and not that good, so I'm not posting it here. But thanksgiving was awesome this year.

VEGAN ROTIBOY!!!!!!

Rotiboy is a delicious Malaysian mall-bakery coffee bun, that I believe were taken from a traditional Mexican treat. They are extremely unvegan, but extremely irresistible when you are at Simpang Lima Mall in Semarang Indonesia, half starved but determined to use the internet. The nice thing about Rotiboy, is you don't need to speak any language, just hold up fingers for however many buns you want, because the bun (with no variation) is the only thing Rotiboy sells. This morning I woke up thinking about Rotiboy. I am going to Haiti tomorrow to do some relief work, and so I made these for dessert after my going-away dinner. They are a work in progress, but it tastes like Rotiboy. The recipe is a 3-parter-- dough, filling, topping.

Dough:
4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. Earth Balance, softened
about 1 c. Plain Almond Milk
2 t. active yeast
1 t. salt
Ener-G egg replacer for 1 egg (1 heaping tsp + the recommended amount of water)

Proof yeast in a mug with some sugar and a little bit of the milk warmed, set aside to do it's thing. Sift 4c. flour into a bowl, add sugar and salt. Stir in the liquid ingredients. Knead in the butter. Dough should be smooth and stretchy, not sticky. Add more milk or flour accordingly. Knead for approximately 10 minutes. Separate dough into round balls a little bigger than a golf ball (I was able to make 17)... let them rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.


Filling:
1/3 c. loosely packed light brown sugar,
7 T. Earth Balance stick, softened (use all but 1 T... it makes sense when the recipe is complete)
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix the three ingredients with a hand mixer. The butter has to be quite soft, but NOT MELTY. I turn on the oven for 30 seconds and then turn it off and put the butter inside to facilitate butter softening in our frigid home.  Set aside.

So by now, your dough has rested. Smoosh each ball down (about the size of a coaster?) and spoon a dollop (shooter marble sized?) of the butter filling into the middle. If you have leftover, add a little more to each one. Use it all up. You won't be sorry.

Next, close them up. I folded mine in the middle (like a taco) and then folded each side in and sealed the edges, then I manipulated the shape so they were rounded squares. Place them on a cookie sheet with tin foil underneath and let rest for 45 minutes somewhere toasty (again, I used the oven trick).

While they are resting, make the topping.

Topping:
 The topping is THE most important, the original recipe called for 3 eggs, and this is certainly where there is the most room for improvement. Sam claims my only problem was that I didn't use enough topping per bun, I thought it was a little... dry. And less melty in your mouth...

2 T. instant coffee dissolved in 1 T. warm water
1.5 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. flour, sifted
1/2 t. cinnamon
7 T. Earth Balance stick, softened
Almond Milk as needed (since I didn't put in eggs. Maybe a higher fat milk (coconut milk?) would help with the dryness)

Mix together the dry ingredients, stir in the wet ingredients, use a mixer to whip them up. The consistency should be like really thick frosting. Load this business into a pastry bag or a ziploc with the tip cut off and squeeze it onto the top of the buns right before you cook them. I thought the icing would spread out a little as it got warmer and cover the entire surface of the bun, but it didn't.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until the top is brown.

Mexican Snickerdoodles

The People's Food Co-op in Ann Arbor has these pretty delicious vegan cookies in their cafe that they have dubbed "mexican snickerdoodles" because they are spicy. Since becoming aware of their existence, I have questioned the cultural sensitivity of referring to something as "mexican" just because it's spicy, and I'm pretty sure these cookies aren't actually mexican. But whatever, they are so delicious. I found the recipe on the "post punk kitchen" blog which is an excellent resource. I haven't made them yet, so I am not sure if they taste the same as the ones at the food co-op, but I bet they are really similar.

For the topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate)
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil,  sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.
4. Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.
5. Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs.
6. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. 
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit spread and crackly on top.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.