rice | Turning Veganese

Apr 30 2013

Cuban can be vegan too!

Miami is immersed in Cuban culture. From the coffee to the art, Cuba’s heartbeat is felt in this city. We decided to honor our love for Cuban contributions (namely a colleague of mine who recently got his American citizenship!) by creating a Cuban inspired vegan meal; black beans, pork, rice and plantains are stereotypical in local cuisine.

For the black beans, all we did was drain a tin of black beans and combine with some roughly chopped peppers, onions and tomato.

We prepared some frozen Goya maduros in our oven. They’re basically fried mature bananas. They’re SUPER tasty.

We made Vigo yellow rice.

Instead of pork, we had maple bacon tempeh. A traditional preparation of pork in Cuban cuisine might be topped with sauteed onions and cheddar cheese. We decided on the rest of those peppers instead. All of this was really easy. It took less than an hour to prepare everything and it was also delicious, nutritious and satisfying.

Thank-you to our neighbor to the South for the inspiration and a good friend who is finally official!

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

Tagged beans, bell peppers, black beans, Cuba, dairy-free, easy, egg-free, gluten-free, maduroa, maduros, maple bacon, nut-free, onion, peppers, plantians, pork, quick, rice, tempeh, tomato, vegan, vegetarian, vigo, yellow rice

Mar 26 2013

3 Comments

Reviews

“Shrimp” Jambalaya

This was one of those nights when we wanted something fun, but didn’t want to work too hard for it.

This Vigo Jambalaya rice mix was an easy base for our next ingredient. Brent made that while I prepared the rest. I diced an onion and sauteed it in Earth Balance buttery spread, chardonnay, flake red pepper and garlic.

We’re using a different kind of vegan shrimp than our usual Ocean’s Best. Visually it was a decent substitute for shrimp.

This particular variety is soy and gluten free and has the texture of overcooked shrimp. I don’t mind that chewier texture, in most dishes I prefer it. It gave a good contrast to the tender rice and soft onion.

At this point I’m neutral to the two. Sophie’s has a slightly better nutritional profile because they’re made with konjac flour instead of potato starch like Ocean’s best. In the end, they’re both tasty, very processed, taste not unlike the real thing but won’t convince most picky carnists. I’d get them if you’re really missing shrimp. Real shrimp are harvested by ocean dredging which is the ecological equivalent of clear cutting a forest. These are better for your conscience.

If you get to try them, let me know what you think!

This is Christie, signing off!

Tagged butter, dairy-free, earth balance buttery spread, egg-free, garlic, gluten-free, jambalaya, nut-free, onion, prawns, rice, shellfish-free, shrimp, sophie's kitchen, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, vigo, white wine

Mar 12 2013

1 Comment

Main Dishes

Leftover rescue: Veggie Fried Rice!

We ordered some Thai food and were left with huge quantities of leftover rice. I’m not one to waste food so we decided to make it into a delicious meal. Usually we throw all of our leftover veggies into a lasagna but rice gave us a good reason for change.

I combined some carrots that we shredded in our food processor with some flake red pepper, chopped onion and a couple of teaspoons of corn oil. I stirred it in our wok (thanks to my big sister for the awesome gift!) until the onion became translucent.

Then I added some soy curls (use seitan if you’re sensitive to soy) and shitake mushrooms that Brent had reconstituted in our microwave with some bouillon and some frozen peas and julienne zucchini. When that had all gotten hot and steamy and the zucchini was soft.

Then I dumped in our rice and seasoned it to taste with teryaki and tamari sauce.

It made a great dinner, leftovers and might benefit from some pseudo-shrimp and sesame seeds when we make it again. It was so easy, I don’t think we’ll be able to resist the urge.

This is Christie and Brent, signing off!

Tagged bouillon, carrots, corn oil, easy, gluten-free, leftovers, onion, peas, quick, rice, sesame seeds, shitake mushrooms, shredded, soy curls, tamari, teryaki, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

Feb 19 2013

Cajun Blackened Tempeh

We found some easy prep red beans and rice and decided to make a Cajun meal (or our version of it) using that, some steamed green beans that we topped with BacUn from Pure Market Express and some spiced tempeh that we coated in our home-made rub and blackened under our broiler.
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper (feel free to grind the whole peppercorns with the mortar and pestle)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt

After mixing these spices in a bowl I rolled each piece of tempeh (I recommend marinating it in some veggie bouillon or your favorite marinade for 1-2 hours, some tempeh can be dry) in the mixture. I placed the tempeh in a dish and covered it lightly with a paper towel. I then microwaved the tempeh for 2 minutes total for 30 seconds at a time, turning it over between sessions.

Then I put it on tin foil and placed it near our broiler on each side for 2-3 minutes or until it started to toast.

The result… happy Brent and happy Christie.

Tagged bacon, bacun, black pepper, blackened, cajun, cayenne, dairy-free, egg-free, garlic powder, green beans, nut-free, onion powder, oregano, paprika, pepper, protein, red beans, rice, salt, spicy, tempeh, vegan, vegetarian

Dec 04 2012

3 Comments

Lazy Vegan, Reviews

Lazy Vegans: TV Dinner 4

So we’ve been throwing ourselves on these TV dinners with reckless abandon. Well, not literally throwing ourselves since they’re in the freezer.

This one is another Indian delight: vegetable korma. This is something I’m used to from a favorite Indian restaurant. This version was much lighter than the restaurant styles I’m used to and I am a fan. The korma was lightly spicy and flavorful. The vegetables had a good texture. The rice was fluffy and the peas were firm. The daal was savory and smooth.

I’d do it again… if I’m feeling lazy.

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

Tagged amy's, carrots, daal, dairy-free, easy, egg-free, gluten-free, lentils, peas cauliflower, quick, reviews, rice, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian

Nov 15 2012

1 Comment

Reviews

The Other Lazy Vegans: TV Dinner 3

Amy’s has been doing well so far with their tamales so we’re branching out to try some of their Indian dishes.

This is their Mattar Tofu. It’s vegan and gluten-free.

It looked good right out of the box and went into the oven for a quick easy meal. So check this out: after heating it looked appetizing and smelled even better. We didn’t do much to it as we were eating.

This is an improvement on the tamales. I added some flake red pepper but no extra salt needed. The rice was a good texture (even if it hadn’t been previously frozen) and the veggies weren’t mooshy.

The ingredients and nutrition were pretty good. Like the other dishes in Amy’s vegan and gluten-free offerings, it contained a modest amount of oil and was salty but it was tasty, easy and not terribly expensive. I’ll probably make my own next time but I might buy this again.

This is Christie, signing off!

Tagged amy's, cilantro, daal, dairy-free, egg-free, garlic, gluten-free, Indian food, peas, quick easy, review, rice, tofu, vegan

Nov 06 2012

2 Comments

Reviews

The Other Lazy Vegans: TV dinner 2

We’ve been giving Amy’s frozen dinners a try lately after a recent success with tamale with roasted vegetables so we went ahead and decided to try their tamale with salsa verde.

It looked a lot more appetizing right out of the box. This is because the rice is recognizable compared with the puddle of beans in the other package.

We prepared this in our microwave and it was quick and easy to follow the instructions.

We ended up adding some flake red pepper and garlic salt but that’s just how we roll. The ingredients were unobjectionable and it was tasty all by itself.

The ingredients were good and it was reasonably priced for how much time and cleanup it saved me. I think I need to learn how to make my own tamales, but I’d buy it again.

This is Christie, signing off!

Tagged beans, chili, cilantro, coriander, corn, cumin, dairy-free, easy, egg-free, gluten-free, quick, rice, soy-free, spanish rice, vegan, vegetarian

Oct 08 2012

1 Comment

Cooking

Easy Pigeon Peas

Since going vegan, I’ve easily had guacamole and chips for dinner at least once a week. It sounds weird when I say it out loud, but it’s the reality of my vegan lifestyle. That said, I was in no mood for guacamole tonight. So I threw together a pigeon pea dish.

Ingredient list:

1/2 dried pigeon peas or gandules
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1 tbsp tomato paste
dash of annatto powder
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I boiled the pigeon peas in 2 cups of boiling water for a few minutes and then set it aside for an hour. Then, I heated a pot, browned the garlic and onions in olive oil until the onions were translucent, and then added the diced tomato. Once the tomato was softened to my liking, I added the peas, the spices, tomato paste, and a cup of water. I covered the pot until it boiled and the water had dried out a bit. I served the pigeon peas over some garlicky fried rice.

I was definitely in need of something more hearty than guacamole for dinner and this fit the bill! –Melissa

Tagged annatto, cumin, easy, fried rice, gandules, garlic, onion, pigeon peas, recipe, rice, tomato, tomato paste, vegan

Sep 19 2012

Korean BBQ and Mom’s Eggplant Salad

My Mom made an eggplant salad of sorts and I thought it would go really well with some korean bbq.

I previously posted a recipe for vegan korean bbq or kalbi. The original recipe works fine, but I made a few modifications:

1/2 cup soy curls
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2-3 cloves garlic, coarsely minced (you can use garlic powder if you’re in a hurry)
sesame seeds
1 tbsp maple syrup

I set the soy curls in water to rehydrate. Then, I mixed the rest of the ingredients together. Once the soy curls were rehydrated and drained, I mixed everything together and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, I cooked the soy curls in a frying pan.

To make the eggplant salad, Mom started with eggplant that was already roasted and cooked it with garlic, onion, chili paste, sesame oil, and salt.

Enjoy with white or brown rice! –Melissa

Tagged asian, chili paste, eggplant, galbi, kalbi, korean bbq, rice, sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy curls, vegan, vegetarian

Sep 16 2012

2 Comments

Lazy Vegan, Reviews

The Other Lazy Vegans: Artichoke Burgers

I got these guys on impulse because they’ve got my dog whistle on them: gluten-free, vegan, organic. I can’t ignore those words. Five Star Foodies artichoke burgers are made primarily from rice, cashews and artichoke and have a great flavor all by themselves.

They keep indefinitely (barring the recommendation on the label) in the freezer and for weeks in the refrigerator. They cook quickly and easily and go well with fries or a tofu scramble. They cost me about $1.75 per burger and 4 come in a bag for a total of $7. Each burger contains 16 grams of fat, more sugar than fiber and 330 milligrams of sodium so those of you who are watching your weight or your salt might want to steer free of these babies in favor of something home-made. All in all it was one of the better gluten-free veggie burgers I’ve ever had. The texture was nice: they melted in my mouth without falling apart during cooking. Still, these haven’t converted me; I’ll probably stick to home-made burgers and trying new ones.

We served them up with a tofu scramble as though they were a breakfast sausage. This is probably not what these burgers were intended for but it allowed us to really taste the burger and not the bun and condiments. If you get to try them, let us know what you think!

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

Tagged artichoke, artichoke burgers, cashew, cashews, dairy-free, easy, five star foodies, gluten-free, grilling, meat-free, nut-free, quick, rice, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian

Turning Veganese

I think I'm turning veganese, I really think so.

Tag Archives: rice

Cuban can be vegan too!

“Shrimp” Jambalaya

Leftover rescue: Veggie Fried Rice!

Cajun Blackened Tempeh

Lazy Vegans: TV Dinner 4

The Other Lazy Vegans: TV Dinner 3

The Other Lazy Vegans: TV dinner 2

Easy Pigeon Peas

Korean BBQ and Mom’s Eggplant Salad

The Other Lazy Vegans: Artichoke Burgers

I think I'm turning veganese, I really think so.

Tag Archives: rice

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