Vegan soy curl, broccoli "Mongolian" stir fry

Inspired by this post from V Nutrition, I made this soy curl veganized version of "Mongolian Beef & Broccoli".  It was surprisingly convincing and tasted like take out!

METHOD

Rehydrate 2 C soy curls in hot water for 10 minutes. Then drain and press out the extra water. Reserve.

Prepare:
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 TB microplaned ginger
1 head broccoil, cut into bite size pieces
4 cremini mushrooms, sliced thin

Mix up the liquid sauce ingredients in a cup:
1 TB hot water
1 TB cornstarch 
1 TB maple syrup 
3 TB soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
1/8 tsp chili oil 

In a hot saucepan, add 1 TB neutral oil (we use avocado oil).  Fry up the garlic and ginger for 60 seconds. Then add broccoli and mushrooms and cook until halfway done/starting to soften.  Add the soy curls and the sauce ingredients and stir. Place lid and cook until warmed through and broccoli is soft. The sauce will thicken a bit.

Serve over rice.

vegan chili (instant pot)

We've been making this vegetarian chili for several weeks now,  and have altered it to our tastes. It's super satisfying, especially with vegan cornbread.  Makes a lot, it'd be great if you are having people over or need to feed a crowd.   With the instant pot you can set this up ahead and have dinner just about ready when you get home or when you are done doing something else.

Place into the instant pot:
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, diced
2 green bell peppers, cut into large chunks
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced into small pieces

1 can chopped tomato
28 oz can of pureed tomato
1-2 C water 

1 TB salt
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp oregano
1 -3  tsp chili powder 

Pressure cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. I like the instant pot's keep warm function. You could also slow cook this all day long if you don't have an instant pot.

Once it's finished cooking, add, and stir:
2-3 C cooked beans: I use canned (and drained) kidney beans and home cooked pinto beans (we cook and freeze these ahead)
1/2 C chopped cilantro 
1 C frozen corn 

Let the heat of the soup warm up the beans and corn. Once it's warmed through, serve with cornbread.

vegan corn bread (w wheat and cornflour)

1.25 C flour

1 C cornmeal or cornflour 

1/3 C sugar (up to 1/2 C sugar if you want it sweet) 

0.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.25 C almond milk

1/3 C avocado oil 

1 tsp applecider vinegar  (to get the most lift and excellent texture 

8x8 pan. bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes. 

Inspired by: 

https://www.noracooks.com/the-best-vegan-cornbread/

https://food52.com/recipes/31697-no-fuss-vegan-cornbread

Evergreens Sombrero Salad Meal Prep

PREP

Wash, dry and cut lettuce. One head of lettuce is about 3 salads (lunch for one person for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Too much more and the cut greens wilt)

Seed and dice 1-2 jalapenos

wash grape tomatoes (they keep better whole, versus dicing a big tomato)

dice cheddar cheese into cubes

thaw frozen corn (if you are prepping ahead, then you can leave frozen and they'll thaw in the fridge)








DRESSING

Make half batch dressing: https://www.loveandlemons.com/cilantro-lime-dressing/. Food process:
1 C cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1/8 C lime juice (i.e. half a lime)
1/4 C olive oil
optional: 1/4 C water
1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
one quarter of the seeds from the jalapeno (i.e. half a jalapeno)


ASSEMBLE

2 compartments lettuce
heaping 1/8 C diced jalapenos
1/8 C corn
1/4 C cooked chickpeas or black beans
5 grape tomatoes
1/2 oz cheddar cheese (or heaping 1/8C of cubed cheese)

Matcha Babka, or green tea swirl sweet bread

Make the brioche dough

On the day of baking, mix up:
1/3 C sugar
1/4 C melted butter
1.5 to 2 TB matcha powder

Roll out the dough with some flour to dust. Roll into square or rectangle. Make sure it's not stuck to the board underneath.

Spread the matcha  goo over the top thinly.

Roll up, jelly roll style.

Cut lengthwise down the roll.

Twist the two halves so that the cut side is up

See these photos from David Lebovitz how to assemble babka.

Alternative fillings:
- Cinnamon Raisin:  1/3  C sugar. 1/4 C melted butter. 2 TB cinnamon.  1 C raisins.
- Chocolate babka like David Lebovitz

Lamb Meatballs

I've become a fan of meatballs, especially lamb ones!  They are easy to eat on a soft food diet.

We make a batch up and freeze what we don't eat the first night. When you are ready to reheat, use the microwave (takes a long time on the stove to thaw frozen meatballs).

MEATBALLS
Saute in olive oil with salt:
1 diced yellow onion
2 C chopped mushrooms

Remove from heat, put the cooked veggies into a mixing bowl. Add and mix in the bowl:
red pepper flakes
ground black pepper 
1.5 lb ground lamb
1 C panko/breadcrumbs
1 egg
Optional: finely chopped parsley

Form into meatballs.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet (a little fat will render out during cooking)

Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Turn. Then bake another 15 minutes. Check by cutting open a meatball, make sure it's cooked (no longer pink).

PASTA
Boil pasta in salted water.  I really like spaghetti.  Drain.

SAUCE
In the pan that cooked the mushrooms, deglaze with
1/2 C white wine
1/2 C veggie or chicken stock
1/4 C lemon juice

Add the cooked meatballs and cooked pasta and toss to coat and warm through. Serve.

Pasta Salad

I'm in the mood for pasta salad! It's a great BBQ or picnic food as you can prep it in advance. It's a carbohydrate that you can sneak veggies into.  I was inspired by this recipe, and this one, and this one from Food52. If you forgo the cheese, then it's vegan.

METHOD
Boil pasta in salted water. Drain.

Mix and match the veggies/add ins that you like:
Tomato or cherry tomato
Cucumbers
Capers, Olives, Red onion (thinly sliced)
Bell Pepper, Zucchini
Optionally choose one cheese: Feta, cheddar, parmesan

DRESSING
olive oil
white or red wine vinegar (I have a meyer lemon vinegar that is lovely in this)
or use lemon juice instead of the vinegar
salt & pepper

Choose your favorite:
Fresh herbs: basil, parsley, dill
Dried herbs: oregano, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder

Mix all together in a glass bowl. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Aloo Gobi (Indian potatoes and cauliflower)

This is a great party/potluck dish. The ingredients are cheap and mostly pantry staples.  It's a great autumn/winter dish as you can easily find potatoes, onions and cauliflower.   You can serve it hot or at room temp, and it holds relatively well, so you can cook it ahead of time.

I brought this to a brunch party today; the potatoey-goodness paired well with the other breakfast items.  It was a great way to sneak vegetables in!  Even though I'm an omnivore, I love bringing healthy vegan foods to parties, so that there's a healthy option, exposes people to new plant-based foods and typically helps reduce the amount of animal products that each person eats. I also have fewer fears of food sitting out at room temp if it's all plant-foods!

METHOD:

Prep first:
Dice 1-2 onions
Chop up 1 head of cauliflower into florets
Dice 3 potatoes (any kind, I used russet and yukon gold)
Grate 1 TB ginger

Measure out spices into a ramekin:
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander 

In a hot pan with olive oil, brown the onions with salt. This usually takes 5-10 minutes.

Now add the spices and stir. Let them cook in the hot oil for 60 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the chopped potatoes and cauliflower into the pan and stir to coat.

Now add liquids: 1 can diced tomatoes, and a little bit of water (probably 1/4 C). Cover and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes until fork tender.

Serve as is, or with whole wheat toast, basmati rice or roti/naan breads.

Veggie Dumpling Soup

I adapted a recipe from Vegan Casseroles book and it was really good!   Nice hearty meal for autumn or winter.

METHOD
For 2 people

Brown diced onions in olive oil with salt
Add salt, pepper, oregano, crushed garlic and stir
Add 1 TB flour and stir for 30 seconds, cooking a roux
Add 4 C stock/veggie broth as well as chopped veggies, like carrot, celery
Simmer or pressure cook (5 min) until veggies are soft

Meanwhile, mix up the dumpling dough:
1 C flour
1/2 TB baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB olive oil
1/2 C rice milk

Stir in some cooked legumes to the soup, like lentils or chickpeas.

With the soup lightly simmering, spoon dollops of the dumpling dough from two spoons into the pot. Cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes without peeking.

Check dumplings are done inside, then serve hot.

Vegan Enchiladas: Potato, Legume, Tofu and Corn

Wowza these are amazing! Easily the best enchiladas I have ever made. When my friend told me she makes these at least once a week, I knew I had to try them.  Since that day, I have made this recipe at least 5 times, and it's one of the few my husband remembers by name to request!

I adapted the recipe from the Oh She Glows cookbook (which is one of my favorite go-to cookbooks) to use regular potatoes (yukon gold or russet), and I've used tofu and black beans or french lentils.  My husband really liked the white/yellow potatoes in this, as it makes them lighter than dense burritos chock-full of just beans. The frozen corn is really necessary as it adds a sweetness to the spicy sauce.

I love how you can assemble these ahead of time, and then cook when you are ready.  Assemble the enchiladas in a pyrex pan, and reserve the sauce until you are ready to cook.  Or you an assemble them individually with the sauce inside and freeze in foil (see below for freezer instructions).

They would be great as a party dish for entertaining or holidays, as they are crowd-pleasing and can simply come out of the oven when you are ready to serve.  Only downside is they aren't terribly pretty if you aren't careful getting them out of the pan and onto plates (sometimes they tear apart!).

Yield: made 2 pans worth of enchiladas and used up 9-10 large (10 inch) tortillas.

SAUCE

Make enchilada sauce.  This can be done ahead of time.  Make a roux of 2 TB oil and 2 TB flour. Stir in:
4 tsp chili powder
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Cook the spices for 30-90 seconds until fragrant.

Stir in 1 C tomato paste and 1.75 C veggie broth. Season to taste with 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer 5 minutes until thick. Reserve. Can be refrigerated or frozen.

ENCHILADAS

Cook 2-3 diced white/yellow potatoes (either boil until soft, or pressure cook/steam for 5 minutes).

Saute 1 diced white/yellow onion in olive oil and salt.  Add spices and stir:
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2-1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin 

Now add and stir:
2 C cooked black beans (or any other bean/legume of your choice.  Cooked lentils are nice)
2 C cooked potato chunks (from above)
1 C frozen corn
diced firm tofu
optional: spinach
1/4 to 1/2 C red enchilada sauce
Less than 1/4 C water to help it warm through if it's too dry

Pour 1 C enchilada sauce into each of 2 pyrex baking dishes.

I use the large flour tortillas, 9"-10" in diameter, in 10 packs.  For each flour tortilla, scoop 3/4 to 1 C of the legume/potato mixture and roll up. Place into the pan on top of the sauce.  Finish all the tortillas. Then pour the remaining enchilada sauce.

Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes.

AVOCADO CREMA
This is essentially guacamole and gives the enchilada an extra salty and fatty kick, which is why you won't miss the cheese in these vegan beauties.

Whiz in food processor:
2 TB lime juice
1 avocado
1/2 C cilantro
garlic powder
salt

Smear over the finished cooked enchiladas just prior to serving, or squeeze in squiggly lines in a pastry bag (or a plastic bag with the tip cut).  When sending these as lunches, I pack the sauce separately so it doesn't get microwaved.

VARIATION: Freezer Enchiladas
On a square of aluminum foil, roll up one enchilada, spooning some enchilada sauce inside the tortilla. Wrap up and close foil. Freeze.   To enjoy, remove foil and heat in the microwave.  Serve with the avocado crema.