Final MOFO #30

I've decided not to post a recipe today. Instead, being the final MOFO, I decided to have some cocktails and celebrate the completion of a challenge. I didn't think I'd stick with it the whole month because I'm notorious for quickly losing interest in projects...this is why I do not craft or write.  My intentions are good, my follow-through is often not.  So, to the new friends I've made and the new recipes I've created and tried, here's to you.
I raise my mug of booze and celebrate this being done!

Kindness and Cookies -- Vegan MOFO #29

I am constantly astounded and humbled by the kindness of others.  Today, I received a surprise package in the mail from someone.  Well, the contents were a surprise, I was asked for my address.  But, the point is that this is someone whom I've never met face-to-face; I know her only through Twitter.  She's a lovely individual, always offering help and suggestions...and, now, cookies!  She mailed me some absolutely delicious homemade cookies, which I have proceeded to devour.  She also mailed me a spaghetti squash.  I know, sounds funny, but we had a conversation a few weeks back about it.  I've been unable to find it anywhere locally, and she remembered that.  The surprise package was a simple reminder of how kind people are, and that we don't hear positive stories often enough.  We're constantly barraged by negativity whenever we go out or watch television.  So, I wanted to take today to do a special THANK YOU to a very kind and generous soul (you know who you are).  One day, I'll return the kindness! Count on it. 

Green Smoothie Addiction -- Vegan MOFO #28

Green smoothies.  THE drink of choice for choosy vegans.  Well, not everyone likes the green smoothies.  It has taken me a little while, but I actually crave their healthy goodness now.  At first I could really only taste the raw spinach, but now I only notice the varied other fruits I add in.  I add different stuff every smoothie, but here are the basics I put into every green smoothie:

• baby spinach
• pineapple
• banana
• golden flax meal

Today's green smoothie was -by far- the best.  It was also HUGE.  As in, half-a-pitcher kind of huge.  I only made it through half a batch, but it was stellar.  I added a little bit of everything I had lying about.  I drank 2 16-oz glasses and still had enough for another half glass at least.  So here's what I used this time:

• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1 cup fresh pineapple
• 2-3 TB flax meal
• 5 fresh cranberries
• 10 fresh raspberries
• 1/2 honeycrisp apple
• 1/2 large bartlett pear
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/4 cup So Delicious coconut milk
• handful ice
• 1/2 cup water

What are your favorite smoothies?

Chickpea Spinach Curry w/Tofu -- Vegan MOFO #27

This is actually a recipe I devised a few days ago, but I had my posts all lined up already, so I decided to squeeze it in as soon as I could.  It really turned out well.  I have, surprisingly, never made curried veggies before.  The day before I left to roadtrip it down to Nashville for T-giving, I found myself with a half-pound of baby spinach that I really didn't want to go to waste while I was gone.  So, I sent out yet another distress call to my vegan foodie pals on Twitter.  What on earth do I do with so much baby spinach?  Make a curry, Paul says.  So, I did.

Anyway, I made a curry.  So, here it is.  It's full of spicy goodness.  I served my curry up with some whole wheat couscous.  I'm not a fan of the super creamy curries, so I added only a little coconut milk, which I think helped to pull the whole dish together.  The measurements of spices in this curry are approximate because I kept adding more til I got it spicy enough.

This dish would easily serve 2-3 people as the main dish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb or so of washed baby spinach
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 small tomato, seeded and diced (optional-- mine seemed to disappear while cooking, so whatever)
• 1/2 block of tofu, pressed and diced
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp madras curry powder
• 1/4 tsp red curry powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• salt & pepper to your tastes
• garlic powder or fresh garlic (I was out of fresh, so I used about 1/2 tsp of powdered garlic)
• 2 TB olive oil
• turmeric
• 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous, quinoa or brown rice

Method:

1.  In a nonstick skillet, drizzle 1 TB of the olive oil.  Set the burner to medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add your tofu, along with a sprinkle of turmeric, several dashes of cayenne and some yellow curry powder along with a smidge of salt and pepper.  Toss to coat the tofu then cook until it starts getting crispy around the edges.  Stir often to cook the tofu evenly.  I think it took me about 8 minutes or so.  Then set the cooked tofu aside.
2. Return the skillet to the burner.  Add the rest of the olive oil and saute your onions (and tomatoes, if using) until they are softened and translucent.  
3. Add the chickpeas and stir well.  Cook about 3 minutes.
4. Add the spinach on top of everything and cook until it wilts.  I think it took me about 5 minutes.  After 2 minutes, I started stirring the whole mix together.  After the spinach is wilted, add the coconut milk and turn the heat up to medium-high heat.  
5. Add in the spices and mix very well.  Let the milk cook down by at least half.  Then add in the tofu that you already cooked.  I tossed the curry a few times and let it simmer down until there was very little liquid in the pan.  Check your spices again and add more as desired.
6. Serve over some sort of starch -- I really liked it with the whole wheat couscous. 

Stuffed Mushrooms -- VeganMOFO # 26

 I'm not gonna lie...these vegan stuffed mushrooms are KILLER. I could eat mushrooms pretty much every single day and never complain, so when I stumbled upon Vegan Piggy's recipe, I instantly became obsessed. Right after checking out the recipe, I went straight to the grocery store to get some more mushrooms. I've been trying to get back into cooking more healthy stuff again, and this recipe sure fits the bill. I've only had stuffed mushrooms with butter and cheese before, so this one is perfect for me.  Not only did I have pretty much all the ingredients on-hand, but I got to use some of my delicious fresh basil that I've been growing.

You can use white button mushrooms if you want, but I used the creminis (aka- Baby Bellas). Look for the biggest ones you can get your hands on so they are easier to fill. Mine were primarily 2-inches in diameter. Just gently wiggle the stems to free them from the caps.  I also just found some mushrooms at the grocery store that specifically say "Stuffing Mushrooms" and are about 3-4 inches in diameter, although I didn't buy those.
Here's the recipe with my adjustments/changes:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb mushrooms, stems removed (set about 1/3 to 1/2 of the stems aside and dice them, throw the rest away)
• 3 Slices of your favorite wheat or multigrain bread, lightly toasted
• 1/2 of a medium red onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 TB extra virgin olive oil
• about 10-15 fresh basil leaves, minced
• any other fresh herbs of your choice
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to your taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush 1 TB of oil onto the bottom of a glass 9x13-inch baking dish. Put the empty mushroom caps smooth side down onto the baking dish.

2. Put your cooled, toasted bread slices into your food processor and whir until they become fresh bread crumbs.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic, chopped mushroom stems, and onion and saute for about 6-7 minutes until the onion is transparent. Stir occasionally so that nothing sticks to the pan.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and fresh bread crumbs until the breadcrumbs absorb the oil and moisture from the onions. Mix in your salt and pepper.
5. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps with a spoon, and press down gently into the caps so none spills out.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Don't let the mushrooms get too brown or they will burn. You will want your breadcrumb mixture to get slightly crisp on the tops. I topped mine with a bit of sea salt and served nice and hot. ENJOY!!