Category Archives: Cooking

Jan 21 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Toasty Taters and Cheezy Tofu Scramble

Today is my niece’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Juliana!). I had plans to have breakfast with her to celebrate. While I looked forward to spending time with my niece on her special day, I was disappointed to realize that the only vegan options on the menu were home fried potatoes hold the cheese, fruit, or oatmeal (which I would have to make sure didn’t have milk mixed in already). Anyhoo, plans changed. I got to sleep in today and make myself a vegan breakfast: tofu scramble with home fries.

Toasty Taters:
Any potatoes, sliced or cubed
1 tbsp garlic, minced
salt
pepper
ground cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper
olive or safflower oil

Put the potato slices in a bowl and add just enough oil to coat all the pieces. Mix it all together with the salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper until the potato pieces are coated evenly. The cayenne pepper will make it spicy so leave it out if you’re not a fan. Loosely bundle the potatoes in foil, stick in a toaster oven–I love toaster ovens, you guys–and bake for 20 minutes or so at 375 degrees. Then, open up the foil, carefully mix the potatoes a bit so they separate, set the toaster oven on the toast setting, and toast for 3-4 minutes. This will make them nice and crispy.

Cheezy Tofu Scramble
1 block extra firm tofu (about 1/4 pound), patted dry and smooshed with a fork
1 tbsp garlic, minced
salt
pepper
onion powder
turmeric
shredded ‘cheese’
olive or safflower oil

Fire up a frying pan and heat your oil, then toss in the garlic and tofu. When the tofu is nearly browned, add the spices–how much you want to use is up to you. Mix it nicely until the tofu is nice and browned. Lower the heat, and add the shredded ‘cheese’ (I used Daiya cheddar). When it starts to get melty, remove from heat and fold the cheese into the tofu.

Yum. Check out those crispy garlic bits. Pardon me while I stuff my face… Melissa

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Jan 19 2012
1 Comment
Cooking, Recipes, Snacks

Ridiculously Easy & Versatile Refried Beans

I almost hate to admit this, but Taco Bell has become a fast food savior of mine since transitioning to a vegan diet. I can only eat so many French fries and 6″ veggie delight subs. Taco Bell rises above the rest for one reason: beans. A bean burrito, no cheese is super cheap, tasty, and vegan — no lard, you guys! I have also ordered nachos with beans only (which has to be announced to the entire staff for some reason).

I was itching to have some refried beans at home, so I went to the store to buy a can. I spotted the Fat Free can first. Fat free? No way! So I picked up a can of Traditional style refried beans. I read the ingredients. LARD. No way! I checked out the Fat Free Can was delighted to read that fat free meant no lard and simple ingredients. Yay! Now, you may be thinking that I could have started with a can of pinto beans. Yes, I could have. For convenience, though, a can of Bush’s Fat Free Refried Beans is perfect.

Melissa’s Ridiculously Easy & Versatile Refried Beans

Ingredients:
1 can Bush’s Best Refried Beans, Fat Free — I used about 1/3 can per serving
Shredded ‘cheese’ — Christie sent me some Daiya and I am in lust with this cheese
diced onion — I used green onion since I had some
your favorite hot sauce — I’ve tried it with Sriracha, Tabasco, and Taco Bell hot sauce
Extra seasonings — the can of beans is already seasoned, but you can add garlic (fresh or powder), onion powder, cumin…

Put your beans in a microwave-safe bowl. Add your seasonings and smoosh it in with the beans. Top with the cheese. Microwave, covered, for about a minute (use a bowl so that the cheese doesn’t melt onto whatever cover you use).

I like my onions crisp and raw, so I top the warm beans and cheese with them. I used shears to chop my green onions. Then, top with your hot sauce. Mix it all together and:

  • Stuff it in a tortilla to make a bean burrito OR
  • Serve it with some Spanish or Mexican rice OR
  • Throw it on a bed of lettuce; add tomatoes, avocados, jicama, and cilantro and you’ve got yourself an awesome salad OR
  • Put some tortilla chips around it and you’ve got yourself some fancy bean and cheese nachos:

I adore versatile foods. This was muy delicioso! –Melissa

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Jan 17 2012
2 Comments
Cooking, Desserts

Macaroons… funny name, serious snack.

I love macaroons and have found that raw cookies resembling macaroons are a staple in vegan cuisine. Still, I’ve been craving the real thing. Shredded coconut is high in fiber and saturated fat. You might think, “this chick is terrified of fat… what’s she doing with coconut?” The saturated fat in coconut is largely composed of fatty acids like lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic acids. Maybe now you’re thinking, “speak English, woman!”

Fun fact: your brain is the fattiest organ in your body – almost 2/3 of it is fat. Your brain is kind of like a huge incredibly intricate ball of electrical wiring, except instead of using rubber and plastic to insulate the wiring, it uses fat. Fatty acids like those found in coconut and other tree nuts, avocado, olives, and certain grains like flax make excellent building blocks for your brain. The fiber in these foods also makes it easier for your body to absorb these important nutrients.

Okay, now my brain hurts from thinking too hard and I must replenish it with macaroons. You’re going to need the following ingredients.

1.5 teaspoons EnerG egg replacer or starch
4 tablespoons almond or soy milk
2 tbsp syrup (agave nectar, maple, whatever kind you like)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 tbsp almond or cashew nut butter (peanut butter works in a pinch but has it’s own distinct flavor, cashew and almond are more neutral)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (omit the 2 tbsp of sugar if you get sweetened shredded coconut)
1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional, if you want chocolate macaroons!)
Preheat oven to 325F/160C degrees. Line a metal baking sheet with parchment and grease it lightly with olive oil or cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl, stirring and perhaps microwaving to get them to blend well. When everything is uniformly mixed, combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well. It should form a semi-dry dough.
Place rounded teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet you prepared earlier. I ended up mooshing them into appropriate shapes with my hands and then making an indentation in the middle with the bottom of the spoon.
Bake for 15 minutes. For an additional 5 minutes, watch the macaroons closely and take them out of the oven if the edges start to get too brown. Pick up the edges of the parchment carefully and place the parchment on a clean dry towel on a cool surface to cool. Makes 8 or so cookies. I drizzled mine with some cocoa that I melted with coconut sugar and cocoa butter.
This is Christie, signing off. OMNOM!
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Jan 16 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Thoughts

Potato… wonder-food fantastic!

Potatoes get a bit of a bad rap. With the Atkins fad, people think potato and they think carbs. There’s really nothing wrong with potatoes except how we prepare them. Oily hash browns, French fried, baked and smothered with butter, bacon, sour cream and cheese… that’s probably not good for you. Potatoes by themselves are rich in vitamin C, niacin, B6, and folate and are a good source of iron, fiber and balanced protein. There are also so many different varieties: buttery Yukon Gold, creamy Caribe, all Blue, whatever. They’re kind of amazing. These are banana fingerlings.

Tonight, I’m making some roasted garlic rosemary potatoes. I sliced about 8 cloves of garlic, a handful of fingerling potatoes, a sprinkling of rosemary and a generous splash of white wine (I’m a fat-phobe, olive oil works great too… maybe I need to de-Atkins my thinking) I roasted them at 325F/160C for 30-40 minutes, wrapped in foil, until they browned around the edges and are tender. Insert into face, enjoy.

This is Christie, signing off.

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Jan 14 2012
1 Comment
Cooking, Snacks

Tostones… vegan junk food, not a party game.

Plantains are like bananas in appearance but they’re not as sweet. Usually they’re cooked (fried, boiled, grilled, baked, whatever) green when their texture and flavor resembles that of a potato. When overripe they’re either eaten raw or fried in thin chips. Plantains are basically the Inspector Gadget of the banana world.

Here’s me peeling one… they’re a little stubborn. I’m going to make them into tostones, a regional specialty, sometimes called patacones.

Most recipes for tostones call for twice fried plantains, but I prefer to boil for the first round instead of frying. This results in a tostone that remains soft after it cools. Traditional recipes can get hard and unpalatable when cool. Anyways, I chopped my plantains into inch long sections (2-3cm) at a slight angle. I dropped them into water, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to a low boil and allowed to simmer for another 25 minutes.

After boiling, they should be soft and yellow. I poured the water over a strainer to collect the plantain pieces.

One by one I placed each piece onto a clean plate that I moistened with warm water…

… and SMASHED it with a clean damp glass jar. Do this carefully to maintain the aesthetic or just smoosh them for the fun of it.

Then I fried it on each side for about a minute in grapeseed oil, until golden brown. You can use whatever kind of oil you like as long as it’s suitable for frying. I know Melissa likes safflower oil. I place them onto a clean dry paper towel to drain off some of the oil. They’re great with hot sauce, mojo (a garlic and parsley sauce) or just salt. They’re also rich in vitamins A and C as well as magnesium and potassium.

Let me know how you like them!

This is Christie, signing off!

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Jan 14 2012
2 Comments
Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes

Tofu and Vegetables in Garlic Sauce

Today is my Dad’s birthday. My Mom planned a feast… a feast of nothing vegan. Ribs. Pork chops. Upo cooked with ground meat. Baked catfish. Pancit with chicken (and using chicken broth). Tofu and Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. Even that last item wasn’t vegan. So, I asked if I could cook the tofu myself, using an easy vegan recipe that I found online as my guide. (Psssstt… check out this blog from Jes, who wrote the recipe. It’s amazing.)

Ingredients:
1 pound extra firm tofu
2 bunches Chinese broccoli (try with other veggies or a mix of veggies–carrots, regular broccoli,  baby corn, bok choy…)
1/3 cup safflower or olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)

Sauce Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn starch

Fist, make the sauce. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and then add the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sugar. Stir the mixture together. When it’s heated through and combined, remove from heat and set aside.

 

Prepare your tofu. Cut it as you wish: I cut mine into cubes. Prepare your vegetables. I cut the broccoli stems into 1″ or so pieces but left the leaves whole. If you’re using Chinese broccoli, separate the stems and leaves into two groups since it will take longer for the stems to cook.

They look like little marshmallows!

Heat the oil in a wok and add the tofu. When the tofu has been browned, add the broccoli stems. Once the stems are cooked–easily stabbed by a fork but still crisp–make another hole and add the leaves and florets.

 

Once the leaves/florets are wilted, reduce the heat a bit, and add the sauce. Mix everything together. Make a hole in the pan and then add the corn starch to thicken the sauce. Once the sauce is of desired consistency, remove from heat. Serve the dish with rice or grain of your choice (I opted for a brown rice/quinoa mix).

This recipe is so cheap and easy, as well as a great way to enjoy Chinese food without wondering if that vegetable dish you ordered is really vegan. I’m also happy to report that the dish ended up being a hit with our guests today. –Melissa

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Jan 09 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Thoughts

NEWSFLASH: I Love to Cook!

I have learned a lot about myself since changing my lifestyle. One of them is this: I love to cook. Food is so much a part of our lives, yet it amazes me how many of us take cooking for granted. Ingredients and what you put into your body are important. Just as important is how those foods are cooked or prepared.

Thanks in large part to Christie, I knew that going vegan would mean getting into the habit of cooking. Here is an exercise for anyone who is a carnivore or even a vegetarian: pick your top three favorite restaurants and look through the menu for items that are truly vegan. Now cross out any that are salads. You likely are left with zero options (excluding those that you can substitute or from which you can remove ingredients, such as cheese). Restaurants are no longer as fun to go to, and I have found myself eating a LOT of potatoes–none mashed nor baked.

Cooking more often has opened my eyes to many new things and has made me more creative. Adding balsamic or red wine vinegar can bring out flavors in simple dishes. Garlic does wonders. There is more than one way to cook broccoli or cauliflower or beans. Recipes don’t need to be followed to the letter.

I am at a place now where I lament not having time to cook, or not having certain ingredients around the house to play with. The act of cooking a vegan meal is just as satisfying as eating the meal itself. I have dabbled with the idea of learning new skills such as painting or music or sewing. Now, I am looking into taking a cooking class, specifically a chopping or knife class, which is a skill I know I will put to good and practical use. I even want to start baking, which is major for me. The best part? I see how my cooking skills are improving. Few things in life are better than the empirical knowledge that you are getting better at something.

I used to be a lazy cook. Making an omelette was as adventurous as I would get. I am so happy that I have embraced cooking. Anyone who is committed to being vegan or vegetarian should make time to cook. We all gotta eat, right? You won’t be sorry and it will help you stay true to your lifestyle.

Looking forward to sharing more recipes and cooking adventures with you! –Melissa

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Jan 06 2012
5 Comments
Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes

Lasagna… hold the meat and cheese, please.

I usually use eggplant in place of lasagna noodles because of the whole… alergic to pasta thing but I encourage you to use it if you’re so inclined. The great thing about eggplant is that it’s also low in calories relative to traditional semolina pasta and has a lot of fiber and nutrients that pasta lacks. I’m biased. I dig plants.

For this recipe I took a large sized eggplant (2 medium would do) and sliced it thin. I wouldn’t recommend soaking the eggplant for this recipe since it can get kinda soupy if you do.I leave the skin on but you can remove it if you want. Pre-cooking the eggplant will result in a softer texture, you can do this by pan frying it or baking it until golden brown. This is my recipe for vegan ‘ricotta’. It’s a little more flavorful than regular ricotta cheese but I doubt anyone will complain.  In your blender or food processor, combine the following:

1 16oz. box firm silken tofu (I like Mori-nu for this recipe)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional but recommended)

1tsp garlic powder

1 2 tsp starch (I used arrowroot)

1 pinch nutmeg

garlic salt to taste

Blend all of this until it’s uniform and creamy. After this mixing step, I added 2 generous handfuls of spinach – this is optional but a girl needs her iron.

I blended it lightly and then spread it on a layer of eggplant that I had positioned on a lightly oiled baking dish.

I put another layer of eggplant on top, (you can make more layers if you want but it’ll take longer to cook) followed by a generous helping of your favorite pasta sauce. I buy whatever is vegan, gluten-free and on sale. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove the foil, toss on some crushed walnuts, if desired and bake another 20 minutes.

I served it garnished with some sliced olives and fresh basil.

This is Christie, signing off… I will probably eat that whole dish of lasagna tonight.

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Dec 31 2011
2 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Lentil Soup

I usually have soup for lunch. I’m a  graduate student and this is cheap for me considering my budget. I make a batch on Sunday and have a bowl each day for 5 days. My favorite is lentil soup. Lentils have less sulfur compounds than most beans and that means I’m not offending my co-workers with my bowels, if you get what I mean. Whole lentils are also high protein, high fiber and have twice the iron, ounce for ounce compared to beef Get a medium large sauce pan combine and assemble these ingredients.
1/2 onion, diced
1lb (450g) of split red lentils
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of your favorite curry powder (optional, for extra zazz)
1 cube of veggie bouillon
1-2 dried red peppers, minced (more or less if desired)
2 tbsp lemon juice
cumin seeds (optional)
olive oil
salt to taste
Put a half tablespoon or so of olive oil to a big pot and a few pinches of cumin seeds (sometimes I add fenugreek seeds that crush lightly with the bottom of a glass or pan). Heat the oil until the seeds begin to sputter. Add onion, garlic and saute until the onions begin to caramelize.

Add the lentils and stir for 1-2 minutes until everything is mixed and coated with the oil. Add the pepper, bouillon and about 1L of water.

Bring to a boil and then let simmer for an hour or until the lentils begin to break down. Add up to another 500mL of water or until you like the consistency.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and salt to taste.

This is Christie, signing off.

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Dec 29 2011
1 Comment
Cooking, Recipes

Miso Soup

This is one of the more simple soups I make for work.

The ingredients can be found in the ‘ethnic’ section of your supermarket, online, or in your local specialty market. Miso paste, tofu, and seaweed are my requisites. I add scallions, chives, garlic, and/or carrots when I have them but they’re not really necessary. I combine 1 liter of water and 1.5 tablespoon of miso paste. I heat it until the paste is dissolved. I add one and a half handfuls of dried seaweed and half a block of Chinese-style water packed tofu, diced into 1/3 inch cubes. If you can’t find dried seaweed, spinach works well too.

I’ll add a tablespoon of minced garlic, 1-2 shredded carrots, 1/4 cup of diced scallions or chives if I want. I’ll add up to another 5oo mL of water and salt to taste. I also like to mince some dried red peppers for spice. I like spicy food.

This is Christie, signing off.

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