Tag Archives: vegetarian

Jan 12 2013
2 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Vegan Pasta Bake

This was an uncharacteristically un-lazy dish for me to make. It turned out pretty good considering that I was winging it from start to finish.

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You may not be able to easily make out the veggies in the bake from the photo above, but I assure you that they’re there. The veggies used can vary, depending on what you have in your fridge or what you’re simply in the mood to eat. I went with zucchini and carrots. Everything from the pasta to the sauce to the ‘cheese’ that you use can be varied. Below are the ingredients that I used.

Vegan Pasta Bake

8oz penne pasta
2 cans tomato sauce (you can use 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce)
1 block firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
1 pack Teese mozzarella vegan cheese
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 carrot, julienned
1 medium onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian herbs
salt and pepper

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While the water for the pasta was boiling and the oven was preheating to 350 degrees, I mixed my tofu crumbles with the spices and olive oil, and cut up the veggies, onion, and garlic.

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After the pasta was cooked and drained, I started placing the ingredients in a casserole dish. I tried to do it in layers: pasta, onions and garlic, tofu, veggies, teese. After all the veggies and pasta were in the dish, I poured the sauce over everything. I should have layered in the sauce as well. Duh. But it still turned out okay, so, yay!

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I was only about 95% happy with how this turned out, but I learned a lot of lessons making it. I hope to try it again with other veggies like spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, squash… and I’ll plan to have more veggies than pasta in it next time. –Melissa

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Jan 11 2013
3 Comments
Cooking

Stock!

This post is about making stock for soup, mashed potatoes, French Onion soup, gravy, risotto or whatever you would normally use soup stock for and it’s crazy simple. Even if you like to compost (or have bunnies to ‘process’ your leftover veggies) this is a great way to get more out of your veggies before you throw them in your bin. Get yourself a big old freezer safe storage container. Every time you peel the skins off onions or garlic, cut the ends of carrots or celery, stems from parsley and other herbs, stumps from mushrooms or broccoli… really anything. I add lemon peel from time to time for certain recipes like pho and orange peel for zesty soy curls. Dump it into the container (I like to use a freezer bag) and store in your freezer.

When your container is full of veggie scraps, dump the contents into a pan, cover with water and simmer for at least 2 hours. Strain the liquid into a container and freeze for whenever. Now the veggies are extra mushy for composting or your sink disposal.

The stock will have no added fat or sodium and full of flavor. I like to store the stock in zippered freezer baggies too. If the bag is full enough for about 1/2 inch thickness when lying on its side, then you’ll be able to thaw it quickly.

This is Christie, signing off.

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Jan 10 2013
2 Comments
Main Dishes

Simple Black Bean Chipotle Burritos!

Brent and I wanted something simple and delicious as we were recovering from our flu and this was it. One of the bigger issues with our love of Texan and Mexican cuisine is the lack of a suitably large soft tortilla to wrap Tex-Mex delights in. Fortunately we recently discovered that gluten-free wraps exist!
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These babies are about the size of your typical wrap and are pliable, unlike their corn counterparts (which often must be fried in order to bend without breaking). You’ll need the following:
6 large soft tortillas
1 tin of black beans, drained
1 tin of diced tomatoes (seasoned with chilis and/or lime works well, I like Muir Glen)
1 package of crumbled tofu (Marjon is great) or 1 cup of reconstituted TVP
1 cup of your favorite chipotle, mole, ranchero or enchilada sauce
1 large onion, sliced
flake red pepper to taste
Daiya (optional)
corn oil
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I sauteed the onion until it was soft. Then I added the tofu crumbles (use seitan if you’ve got a soy allergy), beans tomato and sauce. I stirred it until it was a good burrito consistency, adjusted the seasonings and the let Brent at it.
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We plopped a generous amount of the burrito filling onto our new favorite wraps and then microwaved them (on top of a paper towel so they don’t get soggy) to melt some pepper jack Daiya we sprinkled on top. We added spinach after melting the cheese but we ate them before I could get a picture. Cilantro would have been good too!
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It was spicy, hearty and packed with good nutrients for recovering invalids need. I suspect that’s just an excuse and we’ll do it again soon. YAY!

This is Christie and Brent, signing off.

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Jan 09 2013
1 Comment
Raw, Recipes

Raw Tofu & Avocado Salad

It’s 2013 and time for me to get excited about food again — in a healthy, vegan way. This easy-to-make raw salad is a good start!

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My food preparation philosophy is pretty solid. As much as I aspire to be a more creative and fancy cook, I want things to be simple, to use as few ingredients as possible, and find several ways to prepare meals using items that I always have in my kitchen and pantry. I also don’t want to spend a lot of time preparing food. Thus, this recipe is a classic “Melissa” recipe. I didn’t even come up with it myself. It’s based on this recipe.

Raw Tofu & Avocado Salad

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and drained and then cubed
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp Bragg Liquid Aminos — my first time using this in my own cooking!
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
scallions
fresh cilantro
sesame seeds

I placed the cubed tofu in a bowl. I added the lemon, Bragg Liquid Aminos, and sesame oil, and then mixed it very gently to coat all the cubes. I set the bowl aside and then prepared the avocado. I added the avocado to the bowl with the tofu but I didn’t mix it in. I topped everything with scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds. I also sprinkled some freshly ground black pepper onto everything.

I was a little skeptical, but everything melded together really well! There was the tartness of the lemony tofu mixed with the creamy avocado, and then final fresh kick from the scallions and cilantro. I experimented a bit by eating it in a whole wheat pita:

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The pita unfortunately muted the flavors too much for my taste, but the rest of the giant pita was great to munch on in between bites of the salad.

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Easy, quick, versatile, and no cooking necessary: a classic Melissa recipe, indeed! –Melissa

 

 

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Jan 07 2013
2 Comments
Lazy Vegan, Recipes

Super Easy Rice and Veggie Soup

In lieu of being sick and not wanting to cook, nor eat anything complicated, Christie devised a method of making single-serving soup that is souper easy to make!

See what I did there?

What you need are :
Vegan Bouillon
Instant Rice
Frozen Veggies
Water
Microwave

Put the instant rice and frozen veggies in your bowl, add the bouillon and fill with water. Microwave for about two minutes, stir, and heat again for two minutes.

Watch as I fix it for my sick self.

It seems like a ‘no, duh’ recipe as I write it out, but really it’s a solid recipe to have in ones repertoire. For when you feel sick, or lazy, this soup can have you fed — gluten and cruelty free — in about five minutes.

Hope you all are having a happy and healthy new year!

Peace out, my vegans.

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Jan 06 2013
3 Comments
Main Dishes

Pasta a la Fauxlognese

As a kid, spaghetti bolognese was a favorite. It’s a rich meaty sauce wth lots of tomato and onion served with whatever pasta you tend to fancy. In this case, we’re using shirataki noodles and no meat. Shirataki noodles are great for those who are concerned about gluten and calories. If you use regular noodles, your fauxlognese will be more attractive than ours but just as tasty. You’ll want the following

1 onion, diced

3.4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 16oz tin of diced tomato

1 cup of TVP (reconstituted with water) or soy crumbles (Marion tofu crumbles work well here), chopped mushrooms can be substituted for those sensitive to soy

1 cube of “beef bouillon”

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

salt and flake red pepper to taste

olive oil

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Add a dash of olive oil and the onion and garlic to your pan and saute until the onion starts to carmelize, stirring occasionally. Add the tofu crumbles or TVP and the dry spices.

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When everything is hot and fragrant, add the tomato. Mix it all up, stirring occasionally until hot and adjust the seasonings to your taste.

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Your sauce should look deceptively meaty. Top with some vegan parmesan, shredded basil or Daiya or just serve as is.

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This is a very kid friendly preparation of vegan fare, tasty and healthy to boot. I hope you get to try it!

This is Christie, signing off!

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Jan 02 2013
3 Comments
Reviews

Alexian Earthy Mushroom Vegan Pate

I was browsing Vegan Essentials and saw vegan pate by Alexian. I just had to try it, of course! Alexian makes a lot of traditional pate so they’re not a totally vegan company, but I have to give them props for making a vegan-friendly version of a product they are experts at.

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One look at the ingredients and most vegans will think that I thought: this would be easy to make at home. I chose the Earthy Mushroom flavor for my first taste. It is made up of tofu, veggie broth, onions, mushrooms, celery, garlic, potato starch, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, carrageenan, parsley, salt, tarragon, and pepper. A serving size is 2 oz (there are 2.5 servings per package) and has 25 calories and 2 grams of protein.

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I ate the pate with crackers and white wine. It’s a good product and looks impressive, but it was kind of bland. That said, I didn’t feel any need to embellish it with more spices or even hot sauce. I think once I got over the idea that it would taste like real pate instead of being a tofu-based pate-like product, I was much happier. I also want to point out that it has a really good texture and stayed “in shape” while being easily spreadable. It definitely makes a great appetizer or fancy hors d’oeuvre.

I’m looking forward to trying the other flavors of Alexian vegan pate. I’m also thinking about trying to make some of my own some time! –Melissa

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Dec 28 2012
1 Comment
Main Dishes

Chanterelles Sauteed in White Wine and Herbes de Provence

Sounds fancy, right? It tastes fancy…. and delicious! It’s also crazy simple and works with just about any mushroom including the button mushrooms and portobellos you’ll find at your supermarket. You’ll need the following:

1 tbsp vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)

1 tsp herbes de provence

1/2 cup of white wine (I like pinot gris for this)

and a pound or so of mushrooms

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I’m using chantarelles because I love their texture and flavor. You’ll be able to recognize them by their straw color, trumpet shape and frilly looking edge if you see them at your market.

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I added the butter to a pan and waited until it was melted over medium heat. I simmered these, stirring occasionally over alternating low heat and no heat until the volume of the liquid and the mushrooms was reduced by about 1/3. It took about 45 minutes. I saved the remaining reduction, salted my mushrooms to taste and munched away.

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They’re soft, lightly meaty and have a delicate umame flavor that’s complimented by the buttery herbs and crisp musky wine. I didn’t share with Brent. It was that good.

This is Christie, signing off!

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Dec 27 2012
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Reviews

Vegan Beer : Julian Hard Cider – Cherry Bomb


Hope you guys are surviving the holidays, gang!

In today’s beer review, we review a cider. This hot number is Julian Hard Cider’s Cherry Bomb!

It’s a crisp, cherry cider that doesn’t taste like medicine, and isn’t too sweet either. Watch the full review below.

Thanks again for dropping in. And, as always… Peace out, my vegans.

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Dec 25 2012
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Lazy Vegan, Reviews

The Other Lazy Vegans: TV Dinner 7

Apparently I’m dating myself by using the term “TV dinner” so I’ll just pretend it’s a play on the title of our blog. Whatever. We’re trying more Amy’s tonight because holidays are too cooking intensive for me to handle sometimes. This time it’s the brown rice and vegetables bowl.

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This one looked pretty good right out of the box.

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After microwaving it maintained a fairly attractive visage. The vegetable had a good texture: the broccoli was just on the brink of crossing from tender to mushy but I’ll forgive that fact given how little time I spent standing over the stove.

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The flavor wasn’t anything special but certainly wasn’t offensive. It benefited greatly from the addition of some soy sauce (Brent) and teryaki sauce (me).

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This is one I’d do again for the nutritional profile, ingredients and versatility of the flavors. It’s just too easy.

This is Christie, signing off!

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