Mushroom Crostini and Roasted Red Pepper Crostini

These are both Williams Sonoma recipes. If you love mushrooms, you'll love the mushroom one. I thought it was great. I also spread some brie on the toast and then topped it with the mushrooms....yum! Make sure you serve it warm. The mushrooms aren't as good when they are cold. I used some of the leftovers and spread it on my hamburger and it was pretty yummy too. The red pepper one is also pretty good. If I didn't have the other one too compare it too, I would have liked it more. It would be good in recipes that call for regular pesto as well. Both dishes can easily be made vegan. The pesto just needs a vegan cheese to make it vegan.

Mushroom Crostini

For the crostini:


24 thin slices baguette or other crusty bread
Olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, halved

For the mushroom spread:

3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. mushrooms, any combination, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp. coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. To make the crostini, place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly brush each slice of bread with olive oil. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden and crisp. Once the bread slices have cooled enough to handle, rub each crostini with the cut side of a garlic clove. Set aside.
To make the mushroom spread, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Mix in the garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary and salt, cooking 1-2 more minutes, until fragrant.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor with the feed tube open to vent steam. Process until finely ground. With the processor running, add the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, until the mixture is smooth and spreadable. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread each piece of bread with a thin layer of the mushroom mixture, transfer to a platter and serve.

Roasted Red Pepper Crostini

baguette, cut into ¼”-thick slices

extra-virgin olive oil for brushing, plus 1 tsp.
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. pine nuts
1 ½ tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp. finely chopped basil
½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
goat cheese (I used spreadable Brie)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake until lightly browned and crispy. Cut one clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side on the baguette slices while still warm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Spread each baguette slice with a thin layer of goat cheese.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine one clove of garlic, the red pepper, pine nuts, Parmesan, parsley, basil, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Pulse until a coarse puree forms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread a spoonful of the red pepper pesto onto each baguette slice

Palmiers and Cinnamon Palmiers

I made these for my mom's birthday after watching Ina Garten make them on her show. They are really easy and use puff pastry-- which is both something my mom likes and something my sister can eat. Ina's recipe is vegan as long as you use vegan puff pastry like Pepperidge Farms (the "good" ones may have butter in them). I also made a non-vegan version that involved butter and cinnamon--but with vegan margarine it could be vegan too. The left on in the picture is the non-vegan one and it didn't keep its scrolls as tight. Both were very tasty.

Palmiers

2 cups granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.


Source: Ina Garten

Cinnamon Palmiers



1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 lb puff pastry (1 sheet store bought)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat an oven to 400F.
Stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until it forms a paste.

Roll the pastry dough into a large rectangle, about 15-inches by 12-inches. Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread the cinnamon sugar paste in a thin, even layer over the dough. Starting at the long ends of the rectangle, loosely roll each side inward until they meet in the middle. To hold difficult pastry together, brush it with the egg, if needed.

Slice the pastry crosswise into 1/4-inch palmiers – they’ll look like little scrolls - and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 12-15 minutes, until they puff and turn golden brown. Remove them from the baking sheet and serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: about.com

Vegan Zucchini Cake

This recipe is very similar to my "family" recipe. It's vegan, but it does't have any weird ingredients. The banana that replaces the egg does give it a hint of banana flavor, but it is still really good. I opted for no nuts or chocolate chips.

Zucchini Cake

2 1/2 cups grated, peeled, fresh zucchini

2 ripe bananas, mashed well
1 cup canola oil
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cups ground walnuts (optional)
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

In medium sized mixing bowl, combine zuchini, bananas, oil, and vanilla. Stir well or beat with electric mixer if you want to be fancy. In large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except chocolate. Add wet mixture to dry, mix well and add chocolate chips. Pour into lightly greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean. Let cool upright 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack. Allow to cool 30 minutes before tasting.
 
Source: Post Punk Kitchen

Strawberry Golden Oreo Vegan Ice Cream

I had a bunch of extra almond milk to use up so I made some ice cream for my sister. It was inspired by a blizzard. I think the ice cream tasted like strawberry milk. It was a bit icy, but ok.

Strawberry Golden Oreo Vegan Ice Cream

1½ - 2 c. strawberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)

2 c. soy creamer (I substituted coconut milk)
1 c. soy milk (I used almond milk)
¾ c. sugar
2 T. arrowroot
1 T. vanilla
Golden Oreos, chopped
Mix ¼ cup of soy milk with the 2 tablespoons of arrowroot and set aside. Slice one cup of the strawberries and set aside. Combine the remaining strawberries, soy creamer, remaining soy milk, and sugar together in a blender and puree. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and immediately stir in the arrowroot slurry. This should immediately cause the liquid to thicken (not a lot, but a noticeable amount; it will be thicker when it cools). Add the vanilla. Set the ice cream mixture aside to cool. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Add sliced strawberries and Oreos in the last five minutes of freezing.


Source: A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise

Tadka Dal

I do like Indian food, but we often buy the premade packets of sauce from the Asian market. Indian food can involve a lot of spices, some that are hard to find. My husband definitely had to hit the Asian market for this recipe. He even had to go to an Indian market for the last ingredient. It wasn't a terribly hard recipe--especially since we got to use the pressure cooker. The directions on this recipe were a little confusing on the pressure cooker part. Ours doesn't do a whistling thing like is described. So we waited until the cooker started going and let it cook for a while. It was definitely mushy when it was done. It's supposed to be mushy. The recipe that I linked has some links that describe some of the weirder ingredients. If you are adventurous enough to make this, you will probably need it.

1 cup Toor or Tuvar Daal --mine was actually labeled Moong

1 large tomato cut into cubes
1 tsp ginger paste (we just used minced ginger)
1 tsp garlic paste (we used minced garlic)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp vegetable/ sunflower/ canola cooking oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsps melted ghee (clarified butter)
1 tsp Paanch Phoran (see recipe below)
10 curry leaves
2 slit green chillies (optional but preferred)
1/2 tsp asafetida powder
 
Thoroughly wash the Daal and put into a pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of water to it. Now add the chopped tomato, ginger, garlic pastes, salt to taste, 1 tbsp of cooking oil and turmeric powder to it. Stir well.


Cover the pressure cooker and set on the stove at a high flame. After the first 'whistle'/ pressure release, reduce the flame to simmer and cook for 2 more 'whistles'/ pressure releases. Turn off the fire and release the pressure from the cooker. Now open the pressure cooker and stir the boiled lentils well to blend into a smooth soup-like consistency. If it is too thick, add some warm water and stir till the consistency is right. Heat the Daal through again. It shoudl be piping hot before you carry out the next step in the recipe.

Heat the ghee on a medium flame, in a small pan till hot. Now add the Paanch Phoran and fry till spluttering stops. Add the curry leaves and green chillies and cook till spluttering stops. Turn off the fire and add the asafetida powder. Stir to mix well and add this tempering mix to the boiled lentil mixture. It will sizzle and might splutter a bit, so be careful when you do this. Stir well.

Serve with plain boiled rice.

Source: about.com

Gluten Free and Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Looking for a good celiac and vegan friendly dessert recipe, I decided to try a chocolate pie. I find vegan chocolate desserts to a bit rich so I decided to find a pb recipe to balance it out. So the crust makes one crust and the 2 fillings make a full pie each. So you can cut the recipe in half or make 2 pies. Whatever floats your boat.
I found the chocolate pie and crust recipe on the Elana's Pantry blog. The pb is from here. So the end result is pretty tasty. Still a little rich, but decent.

Gluten Free and Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Gluten Free/Vegan Crust
1½ cups blanched almond flour

¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine grapeseed oil, agave and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Pat dough into a 9.5 inch glass pie dish. Bake at 325° for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown

Chocolate Cream Filling

2 cans coconut milk (14 ounces)
pinch celtic sea salt
¼ cup arrowroot powder
½ cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips 73% cacao

Bring coconut milk and salt to a boil in a medium pot. Sift arrowroot powder into the pot, whisk vigorously by hand or with a hand blender for 2 minutes. Whisk in agave and vanilla. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 minute. Add chocolate, stirring vigorously until completely melted. Chill in refrigerator for ½ hour until cool. Place in cooled pie crust and serve.

Peanut Butter Pie Filling

1 pound extra-firm silken tofu (I just used the refrigerated silken tofu)

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soymilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate or carob chips

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Spoon into pie shell. Decorate with chocolate (or carob) chips. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

I made my favorite sister some vegan strawberry shortcake for her birthday. Of course I was having trouble finding vegan soygurt at my area grocery stores. My Frys has vegan cream cheese, sour cream, etc. --but no soygurt. Even the soygurt I found at the Super Target had milk cultures in it. So I didn't use my sister's yougurt pound cake recipe. I found a new one. It was okay. A little sweet. Of course, somebody left it at home and it had to be delivered the next day so she was the only one to taste the dessert in it's entirety. My husband was a sweetie and helped me out since I was sick. He made the whipped cream. He also didn't check to make sure it was sweet enough. Oops. I assume everyone knows how to make the strawberry part. Slice your strawberries. Add sugar to taste (sugar creates juice, so make sure you use it if you like the strawberries juicy). So I can't judge the finished product, but my sister said that as a whole it was really good.

Vegan Pound Cake

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (I like Earth Balance)

1 1/2 cups granulated or raw sugar (I use granulated)
6 ounces (one half of a box) plain or low fat Silken firm tofu (blending or processing first assures no lumps)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 5 x 9" loaf pan. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in tofu until well combined. Add 1 cup flour and, with mixer on low, mix just until incorporated. Add water and extracts and do the same. End with remaining cup of flour and baking powder. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes. Spoon mixture into pan and lightly smooth the top. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Source: The Blooming Platter

Whipped Coconut Cream

1 cans worth of coconut cream- the white part, not the clear- chilled for a couple of hours.
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp powdered sugar

Freeze mixing bowl and whisk attachment prior to adding in coconut cream. Beat on highest setting until soft peaks are formed- usually about 6 minutes. The colder the temperature of the cream and the utensils, the better the chances of forming these nice peaks. ( As this is a first attempt at whipping coconut cream, mine turned a bit soft as I neglected to pay too much attention to the whipping process. But, I threw it in the freezer for a few minutes and then in the fridge, and the taste and texture is pretty darn similar to the animal variety. But I won’t lie, mine came out more the consistency of regular whipped cream left to sit out a bit too long. I could hardly even notice the coconut flavor though)

Once peaks have formed, add other ingredients and immediately chill in refrigerator.

Source: Manifest Vegan

Pickle Showdown

When I got some of those little pickling cucumbers in my produce basket, I just had to try a pickle recipe. I didn't want to do the recipe that requires several days of fermentation. I found 2 different recipes for the overnight sweet pickle variety. Two of my favorite Food Network chefs, Tyler Florence and Alton Brown. I have to say, Alton's are much more flavorful. I think he is the winner of the pickle challenge. Next time, dill pickles!

AB's B and B's
(Alton Brown)


1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice

Combine onion and cucumber slices in a clean spring-top jar. Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 full minutes to wake up the flavors of the spices. Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the onion and cucumber slice, completely filling the jar. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before topping off with any remaining pickling liquid. Refrigerate.

Quick Sweet Pickles
(Tyler Florence)


6 kirby cucumbers or 2 regular cucumbers
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 bay leaf

Wash and dry the cucumbers. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the cucumbers thinly and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Place the colander over a bowl and allow it to sit, covered, for about 1 hour. Rinse off the salt and dry the cucumber slices well. Place them into a sterilized quart jar.

In a small saucepan add the remaining ingredients. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Pour the brine over the cucumbers in jar. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.

Easter Pie

This is one of my sister's "go-to" recipes for holidays. It's from veg.cooking.com and it's very good. It's kind of a casserole so you don't notice the fact that it has fake meat.

Easter Pie
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dairy-free margarine
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt (for innards and crust)
1/4 cup water
1 lb. vegetarian sausage, crumbled
2 lbs. firm tofu, crumbled--only used 1 lb, 2 is too much
1/4 cup soy Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a food processor, combine the flour, margarine, sugar, and 1/4 tsp. of salt. With the machine still running, add the water to form a dough ball. Divide the dough into two balls and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the vegetarian sausage, tofu, soy Parmesan, parsley, remaining salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and fennel seeds.

Roll out the dough into two 11-inch circles. Place one circle in a 10-inch pie plate and spread the filling mixture over it. Cover with the other dough, pinch the edges, and prick the center with a fork. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Gobi Manchurian

If you go to the website that I found this recipe, you can learn about how Chinese food went to India and then back to China. It's very interesting. I had gobi manchurian at a local Indian restaurant, and it was really good. So when I got a couple of heads of cauliflower in my produce basket, I thought I should try it. Bird's eye chilies are hard to find, so we used 4 habeneros. It was quite spicy. The sauce in this had a little too much ketchup for my taste. It also didn't stay crispy. I will have to try it again. Meanwhile, it was decent.

Gobi Manchurian

10 to 12 cloves garlic

1 piece ginger, peeled and sliced into coins, + 1 teaspoon julienned ginger
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
2⁄3 cup cornstarch
2⁄3 cup flour
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tsp. plus 3 tbsp. soy sauce
Peanut oil
2 small onions, chopped
8 to 10 fresh bird's eye chilis, thinly sliced
3/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Cilantro leaves for garnish

In a blender, purée garlic, ginger slices, and 1⁄3 cup water. Set aside.

In a a pot of salted water, cook cauliflower until tender, about 5 to minutes. Drain, pat dry with a clean towel, and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir in half the garlic paste, 2 tsp. soy sauce, and 3⁄4 cup water to form a batter.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Working in batches, dip cauliflower in batter, then fry until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer fritters with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté onions until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add chilis and remaining garlic paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ketchup, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1⁄3 cup water; simmer until sauce is thickened, about 1–2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return drained cauliflour to the wok and toss to coat. Transfer to serving plate(s), garnish with julienned ginger and cilantro, and serve as an appetizer or with rice as a main entree.

Asparagus Stir Fry

This ended up being the perfect dish to use up some ingredients that we had. Plus side, it tasted really good too. I didn't plan it, but we had a vegetarian/vegan dinner both Saturday and Sunday. If you can't handle tofu, you can switch it out for chicken (or fake chicken if you want to keep this vegan). I used kale for  my leafy green. I recently discovered it's yumminess. I also used brown rice. I am slowly getting used to having brown rice instead of white. It grows on you.

Asparagus Stir Fry

toasted sesame oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit
a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard
zest and juice of one lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 small handful fresh mint, slivered
1 small handful fresh basil, slivered

Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Alternately, you can do this in a dry non-stick pan - one of the few occasions I still use non-stick. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden - a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil.

Source: 101 Cookbooks

Peanut Butter Krispy Treats

I have made regular vegan rice krispy treats before. I had to special order some vegan marshmallows. They were good, but who wants to special order vegan marshmallows? So instead, you can try these treats. Okay, the agar agar is a slightly odd ingredient. Sprouts carries it. It's really easy to make. It tastes pretty good. And it's vegan.

Peanut Butter Krispy Treats


3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
(my sister said they were a little salty, so you can cut back on this)
2 1/2 teaspoons agar agar flakes (available at a health foods store)

4 cups unsweetened (or lightly sweetened) crisp brown rice cereal


3/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

Line two muffin tins with about 18 muffin/cupcake wrappers, and set aside. Combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and agar flakes in a large saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until smooth, hot, melted, and bubbling just a bit. Add the cereal and 1/2 cup of the pistachios and stir until well coated. Spoon two heaping tablespoons of the mixture into each muffin wrapper and press into place with the back of a spoon. Alternately, if you want krispy squares, you can transfer it to an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios and refrigerate until completely cool (this also helps the agar set).

Source: 101 cookbooks

Sage and Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Seitan with Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce

This recipe has made it to Vegan Thanksgiving every year. It is very popular, so my sister makes it every time. This past November, I think she made it correctly for the first time. Of course, it always tastes good. The pumpkin oil is a little unusual. I think it is hard to find--as is the seitan. Try a store like Whole Foods and Sprouts.

Sage- and Pumpkin Seed-Encrusted Seitan With Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce
For the Marinade:
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup tamari soy sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
10 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

For the Seitan:
1 lb. seitan, cut or shredded into large chunks or 1 box chicken-style White Wave Wheat Meat, available at health food stores
1 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
3 Tbsp. finely minced fresh sage
2 cups flour
1 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
3-5 Tbsp. olive oil

For the Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce:
1 half-pound pumpkin, diced
2 shallots
8 allspice berries
2 oz. nondairy margarine (try Earth Balance brand)
1 sprig thyme
5 roasted garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
12 oz. vegetable stock
2 oz. olive oil
1 oz. pumpkin seed oil

For the Marinade:
 In a blender, mix all the ingredients until smooth.

For the Seitan:
 Pour the marinade over the seitan and refrigerate overnight.  With a large knife, chop the pumpkin seeds to form a powder. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the sage, flour, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip the seitan chunks into the pumpkin seed mixture and coat completely (if the seitan does not come packaged in liquid, dip each piece in a little bit of water first). Place the seitan in the oil and fry until lightly browned and crispy on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce.

For the Roasted Garlic-Pumpkin Sauce:
 Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a baking dish, combine the pumpkin, shallots, allspice berries, vegan margarine, thyme, garlic cloves, and cinnamon stick. Cover and roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender. Remove the allspice and the cinnamon stick. In a blender, combine the pumpkin mixture with the vegetable stock, olive oil, and pumpkin seed oil until smooth. Serve warm.

Source: vegcooking.com

Roasted Parsnips

I can't say that I am familiar with parsnips. I may have eaten them once before. They look like white carrots and are a little sweet. Apparently, they do well with the roasting technique. They looked like french fries when we cooked them, but they taste more like sweet potato fries. So, not bad. If you like sweet potatoes, you'll like these. French fries are still much better.

Roasted Parsnips

2 parsnips

olive oil

salt

pepper

herbs (I used rosemary)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and cut parsnips into matchsticks pieces. Toss in olive oil on cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Cook about 20-25 minutes or until browned.

Tart Cranberry Dipping Sauce

I like dipping sauce for turkeys--or chicken or whatever. This one is pretty tasty. I added extra sugar and syrup to make it a little less tart.

Tart Cranberry Dipping Sauce

1 pound frozen cranberries
2 cups orange juice
3 cups ginger ale
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 orange, zested

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.

Carefully puree with stick blender or blender until smooth. Check for seasoning and serve in small ramekins.

Alton Brown's Cranberry Dipping Sauce

'Cheesy' Scalloped Potatoes

I don't consider scalloped potatoes as a classic Thanksgiving potato dish, but that's okay. These are pretty good. They are vegan, but I imagine you could use real cream cheese as well. They don't get the nice brown top like you do in the oven, but it is convenient.

‘Cheesy’ Scalloped Potatoes


2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. salt
Black pepper, to taste
8 potatoes, sliced
8 oz. vegan cream cheese, cubed

Lightly grease a crock pot. In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.
 Layer 1/4 of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the seasoning and top with 1/3 of the vegan cream cheese cubes. Repeat the layers, ending with the seasonings.

 Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. During the last half hour of cooking, stir the potatoes.

vegcooking.com

Crock Pot Herbed Zucchini

This is one of the many dishes that we had a Vegan Thanksgiving-- or Thankful Veghead as my sister calls it. I liked it. It wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving dish, but it was easy (a crockpot dish) and good. It is pictured in the top left of this crowded plate.

Crock Pot Herbed Zucchini


2 lbs. zucchini (unpeeled), sliced
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup tomato juice

Mix all ingredients together carefully in crockpot. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 to 4 hours. If thicker sauce is desired, remove cover during last hour.

White Bean and Roasted Eggplant Hummus

I'm not a huge fan of hummus, so I am going to say that this recipe is only okay. If you really like hummus, you may like this. I had some eggplants to use and brought this to a family function.

White Bean and Roasetd Eggplant Hummus

1 (1 1/2-pound) eggplant or 3 Japanese eggplants, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1/3 cup
Kosher salt, for seasoning, plus 1/2 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1 clove garlic
1 hothouse cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place an oven rack in the middle.

Place the eggplant on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooled eggplant, beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the hummus in a dipping bowl and serve with the cucumber slices. Alternatively, spoon the hummus over the cucumber slices and arrange on a serving platter.

Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Roasting vegetables is good. I keep discovering that it works for more and more vegetables. I never would have thought that broccoli would be good in the oven. This is a really simple and flavorful recipe. Sprinkle on some seasonings and oil and cook for 20 minutes in the oven. Voila!

Chili-Garlic Roasted Broccoli

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it

5 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended:Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick Grill Mates)
1 large head broccoli, cut into thin, long spears


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, chili powder and grill seasoning in the bottom of a large bowl and add the broccoli spears. Toss to coat broccoli evenly then transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet. Roast the broccoli until ends are crisp and brown and stalks are tender, 17 to 20 minutes.

Source:
Rachel Ray

Green Goblin's Punch

With a title like this, it seems this recipe is perfect for Halloween. That was not my intention, but it works. I actually was reading about the nutritional benefits of avocado and decided there had to be a way to eat it but didn't taste it. Not a fan of guacamole. I found a bunch of smoothie and milkshake recipes. This is avocado drink recipe trial #1. With the strong flavors of orange and pineapple, the only reason you know this has avocados is the light green color. It is actually really good.

Green Goblin's Potion

1 medium or large ripe avocado
1 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
1 Tbs honey
1 1/2 cup orange juice
2 tsp lime juice (optional)
1/4 tsp coconut meat or flavor
2 ice cubes--or a handful

Blend all ingredients in the blender.
 
Website Source: bewellbuzz.com