Chickpea Curry & Coconut Rice

I really burned myself out on curries for a while but I'm back, baby! I didn't know what sounded good, so I just kept adding shit until it tasted exactly how I wanted. It's a mishmash of all my favorite things, and damn was it tasty as hell!

I read somewhere recently about cooking rice in coconut milk for some good flavor. I love coconut milk and I love rice, so there was no way I couldn't fall passionately in obsession with it. I highly recommend making the coconut rice to go with the curry. Recipe: 1 cup uncooked rice to 1 can of lite coconut milk. You won't regret it.

Makes 4 large portions.

What you need:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups cauliflower florets (I steamed mine to cut cooking time down)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 slightly heaped cup roasted cashews, but raw is great too
• 4 large button mushrooms cut into wedges
• 1 very large handful baby spinach, shredded or chopped
• 1-2 TB grapeseed oil
• curry powder, a few TB
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• salt to taste

 

What you do:

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Once it's shimmering, add chickpeas, cauliflower, cashews, onion, carrot, and mushroom. Stir well and cook about 5 minutes. 
2. When the veggies are softened, add the spices and 3/4 of the coconut milk. Let simmer until it thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add more coconut milk or spices. It's your dinner, not mine. When you're pretty much satisfied, turn off the heat and stir in the spinach to wilt. It'll only take about 2 minutes.
3. Serve up over some badass coconut rice.

Curry Power

Curry? Um, yes. I really can't ever say no to some tasty-ass curry, and you shouldn't either. 

Don't know what to make for dinner? Have veg that's about to go soft? Tired of the same old shit food? Time to make a fucking curry. You can add almost anything to curry in terms of veggies and spices. This recipe turned out to be one of my favorites and all I did was throw some random stuff together. 

Makes enough for 2 large dinner portions with some tasty jasmine rice.

What you need:

-2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 drained can)

-3 tomatoes roughly chopped

-1 large carrot cut into small dice

-1/2 red onion, cut into small slices or diced

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1.5 cups raw cashews

-1 cup frozen peas

-1 TB  coconut oil

-2 TB favorite curry power - I'm too lazy to concoct my own

-1/4 to 1/2 tsp sumac (optional but recommended)

-salt and pepper

-fresh coriander/cilantro

-cooked rice

What you do:

1. Cook rice and set side in to keep warm until plating.

2. Heat your oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the carrots and cook 3-4 minutes. Add onions, and cook until transparent, about 6 minutes. Now stir in the minced garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, turn heat down to medium.

3. Add the tomatoes to the pan, along with the spices. I covered my pan for about 10 minutes as the tomato cooked down. Once the tomatoes get soft, remove the lid.

4. Add the cashews and peas, and cook another 5-7 minutes as some of the liquid cooks off and the curry tightens up a bit. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed to fit your own twisted tastes.

5. Serve over the yummy rice and top with some fresh cilantro/coriander. 

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies - VeganMoFo #3

 

Craving sweets lately? You're not alone. The cooler Autumn weather makes me crave the comforts of my childhood, like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and yes, COOKIES. Who doesn't love cookies, really? I prefer my chocolate chip cookies kind of simple and with lots of toasted walnuts. Don't like nuts? That's just wrong.

Here's a trick I learned a long time ago to really make your cookies rock: toast your nuts before you add them to the dough. I lay mine out on a cookie sheet and bake them at 375 for about 6 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and set out for a few minutes to cool. Kapow! Your nuts are toasty.

So, depending on the size of your cookie scoops, this makes close to 2 dozen. I used a 2-TB scoop and it yielded 18 cookies.

What I used:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup room temp vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 egg substitute (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
• 1 cup plus 3 TB flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 bag chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional, but recommended)

What I did:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. I toasted my nuts while I made my cookie dough.
2. Using a stand mixer or a hand beater, cream together the sugars, vanilla, and the butter until well mixed and sort of creamy looking.
3. Add in the egg, flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined with no dry spots. 
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts, if using. 
5. Scoop out onto a baking sheet covered in parchment or a silicone mat. If lining with foil, you may want to very lightly spritz the foil with cooking spray. I kept mine about 2-3 inches apart because they will spread out some. If you like a flatter cookie, you may want to smoosh the scoops down just a bit before baking.
6. Bake for 7-11 minutes, until golden around the edges and still soft in the middle (soft,but not raw). Then remove from oven and leave on pan to cool about 5-10 minutes. If you like a crispier/crunchier cookie then,by all means, bake them longer. We just prefer a crispy edge with a chewy interior here.

Lazy Breakfast - VeganMoFo #1

You caught me. I forgot to buy groceries for the start of Vegan MoFo. I spent yesterday tiling my kitchen and completely spaced the fact that MoFo started today. So, what I did was have a super lazy breakfast. I baked some canned crescent rolls (check labels, some are vegan). They aren't healthy by any means, but they are good in a crunch. I added some nuts for a few healthy fats. These were a Germack brand mix of salt and pepper pistachios and cashews (they're called Castachios).Germack is a local Detroit nut company that roasts stellar nuts. No joke. They rule.

Now, I have to get my ass in gear and get to work. Ah, the life of a librarian.

Happy MoFo 2012

Herbed Cashew Ricotta

Every once in a while I get a craving for ricotta cheese, but being cruelty-free, I don't indulge in dairy. I can't find any vegan ricotta in a 50-mile radius, so I decided to try and make my own version using cashews. If you haven't already tried it, raw cashews can make an astounding number of sauces and cheeses. I made a mayo-like creation with them as well as an alfredo sauce with them, both of which were spectacular. For this ricotta, I decided to add some herbs and use it for pasta with onion, garlic, and sauteed zucchini. SO GOOD! Dudes, you should totally give cashew ricotta a chance.

This makes a little over a cup of ricotta, depending how much water and fresh lemon juice you add.

What I used:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
• fresh lemon juice - I used juice of 1 whole lemon, adding a little at a time and tasting often
• fresh herbs to your liking (I used basil, dill and flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small fresh clove of garlic (optional) 
• 1tsp olive oil
• salt
• a little water to loosen up the cashew ricotta in the blender

What I did:

1. Drain and rinse off your soaked cashews. Add them to your blender or food processor. 
2. Add a couple TB of fresh herbs and the garlic(if using). Squeeze some lemon juice in and a splash of water. Whir until the cashews are mostly creamed with a little texture remaining. 
3. Taste and adjust salt, lemon and herbs as needed. It should look something like this:

I let mine sit in the fridge, covered, for about an hour and the flavor got even better. Now, you can add it to an awesome dish, like this:

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Walnuts

Ladies and gents! It's that time of year again. I can finally find brussels sprouts in my market again. I rejoice every single time summer hits and I can find fresh sprouts. I absolutely LOATHE the frozen sprouts you can buy at the grocery store. In general, I don't use frozen veggies except peas and sometimes corn. All the others taste like they've been frozen, and I just can't roll with it.

So, today, the fella went to visit his family for a bit, and I was left in solitude to read books and snuggle my pup. You see, she just had to have dental work done (as many aging chihuahuas must do), and she's feeling a bit mopey, thus she needed her mama to spoil and snuggle her all afternoon. When dinner time came around, I wasn't feeling like making a huge or elaborate meal as I sometimes feel the need to do on my days off. I popped open my fridge and instantly zeroed in on the sprouts. They were calling my name. I couldn't refuse the buggers. I'm an addict. I just needed one more hit of sprouts. Judge me if you must.

In the past, I've always roasted my sprouts in the oven, but I was feeling a smidge creative and decided to try pan-searing them in my cast iron skillet. Jackpot! You still get the crispy, caramelized bits, but you cook the brussel sprouts quicker. You can't beat that. This was my dinner. A plate of brussels with garlic and walnuts and a side of fresh tomato with olive oil and Thai basil. I have a happy tummy.

Here's what I did:

1. While trimming my sprouts, I heated a cast iron skillet over medium heat. After heating it for about 5 minutes, I added about 1 tsp of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully add the brussels (about 1/2 lb. with the end trimmed and top layers of leaves removed). Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. I added a little kosher salt here.
2. Once the carmelization starts on the sprouts, add in about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. Stir and cook about 2 minutes. 
3. Now add in 1 minced garlic clove. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. The end.

Ever eat chickpea sandwiches? They're a staple in my world. I love taking them for lunch at the library because they don't make your bread soggy (I absolutely cannot deal with soggy bread) and the flavor seems to get better as it sits. As for the bread, I never much took any interest in foccacia, but the fella came home with a giant, flat loaf from the store today. I wondered what the hell I was going to with it. Alas, I made a sandwich. And it was great. The foccacia was soft inside and chewy outside. Better yet, it was vegan!

This little recipe started with a recipe I found on Happy Herbivore's blog a couple years ago, and has constantly evolved ever since. This makes 1 sandwich, but I'll leave it up to you to double/triple/whatever.

What I used:

• 1/2 can drained chickpeas (About 2/3- 3/4 cup)
• 3 TB diced onion
• 2 TB sunflower seeds for a little crunch
• 1 TB Vegenaise vegan mayo
• 1 1/2 TB dill relish
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 TB nooch
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/8 tsp dried dill

What I did:

1. Put everything in your food processor and pulse a few times, until the mix holds together. If it's too dry, add a little more mayo or dijon mustard and pulse a few more times. Spoon the mix out onto some bread, top with some baby spinach (or lettuce) and a slice of tomato. Dig it.

Spicy Peanut Veggies & Noodles

I have been itching to make something spicy and peanutty for a while now. So, get this, I did it. Amazing, I know. Shower me with praise. Or not. I just know that this turned out awesomely and I will absolutely be making it again. For the noodles, I used a thinnish spaghetti noodle as that's what I had onhand. You can use whatever you want, but I like long, floppy noodles. Hahaha. I used to love lo mein noodles, but they have eggs in them, which is oh so sad. I haven't tried the rice noodles yet...they kind of freak me out for some reason. Perhaps I shall soon. Who knows. Crazier things have happened. In the meantime, I highly suggest you make this ridiculously yummy dish. I know you'll like it.

This makes 3 rather large servings or about 5 as a side.

What I used:

• 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
• 3 carrots, grated
• 1/2 red onion, cut into thick strips
• 1 cup pea pods, ends removed and cut in half
• 5 button mushrooms, cut into chunks
• noodles
• 1/4 cup (or a bit more) smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2-3 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 TB (or more) sriracha sauce
• a couple TB water
• 2 tsp coconut oil 
• dry roasted peanuts for a tasty garnish

What I did:

1. I steamed the broccoli and cauli for about 5-6 minutes until they were just tender enough to spear with a fork (the broccoli will be a vibrant greeen). Then, I heated the coconut oil (you can use any oil) in a skillet over medium heat. I sauteed the onions until they started to lose their color. Then added in the carrot and mushroom along with the steamed broccoli and cauli. While the veg is cooking, start cooking your pasta.
2. While the pasta and veg are still cooking, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha and water. It seems like it will never mix together, but keep on whisking. Taste it when it looks homogenous and add any more spices as necessary. Set aside. 
3. By now, your veggies and pasta are ready. I added the pea pods in the last minute of cooking the veg because I love them nice and crispy. You can do whatever you want. Now, add the sauce to the pasta and then gently fold in your veggies. I let mine sit a few minutes to meld together and this is what it looked like:
   
   
   

Curried Quinoa!!

Ever have those days when you just don't feel like making anything fancy? Yeah, I had that day today. I decided to start with some quinoa and see where it took me from there. As I puttered around my kitchen looking for other stuff to add to the quinoa, I found some frozen peas and some chopped walnuts. But what spices? Dudes, you know I can't resist curry powders, so I decided to take a chance and make curried quinoa. This was pretty tasty on its own, but even more so with some garlic naan (or a garlicky pita). They go perfectly together. Take my word for it! I command you. Enjoy....or not....whatever.

This makes enough for 3 bowls as a main dish or 4-5 as a side.

What I used:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 large carrot, grated (I actually used a microplane to grate mine)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1-2 tsp curry powder of your choice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• salt

What I did:

1. Combine broth, water and spices in a pot over medium-high heat with lid on. Once lightly boiling, stir in the quinoa, carrot and onions. Leave the lid on and lower the heat to medium. Cook for about 12-15 minutes.
2. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully stir in your peas and walnuts, and place the lid back on the pot. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Taste for spices and dig in.

Yellow Smoothie - Vegan MoFo #13

This is a first for me. I have never, ever made a yellow smoothie. It's surprisingly good. But, weird looking. See, I was attempting to make some almond butter with cinnamon and a bit of agave to sweeten it. For some reason, I just couldn't get it as smooth and creamy as I wanted, so I scrapped it. At the bottom of my blender was the leftover I couldn't reach with my silicone spatula. What's a chickpea to do? Throw in some other stuff and make a smoothie, of course.

There were probably about 2 TB of my almond butter (more like a thick paste...grrr) at the bottom of the blender. I added 2 handfuls of carrot sticks (about 2 carrots), 1 Ida Red apple (quartered), 1/4 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup cranberry juice, a scoop of ice and 3 large strawberries.

I know, sounds an odd assortment, but it was surprisingly good, I promise! I had all sorts of leftover fruit and veg in my fridge as I was in charge of making a fruit and veggie platter for my pal's bridal shower. So, I decided to use up what I could. I'm thinking that I need to make a stirfry or veggie pasta for dinner to use up more of it. I really hate wasting perfectly good produce.

What do you make when you have fruit and veg to use up? I'm always looking for new recipes :)

Crazy Cowboy Cookies - Vegan MoFo #4

I am a fucking vegan Martha Stewart. I think I made her cookies better than she ever could. You should know my ego is ridiculously large when it comes to my baked goods. And with good reason, there are never, ever leftovers when I take them to non-vegan functions. Folks chow my goodies and beg for more. This is not an exaggeration. And, while I shouldn't take all the credit for this recipe, I am anyway. Martha is fantastically rich, she'll live. Or, maybe, she'll send her goon squad after me. Whatever. I'll die with a tummy full of cookies.

The back story: I looked in my cupboards last night and found that I had coconut, chocolate chips and pecans, but I couldn't decide what to do with them, so I went to the trusted internetz and found Martha's Cowboy Cookies here. They sounded sinful and perfect, so this morning I set about veganizing her recipe. I shall warn you in advance, if you are counting calories, these are not the cookies for you. They use a lot of butter and sugar. And this is exactly what makes them wickedly perfect. They're nice and crispy around the edge and nice and soft/chewy in the center. Basically, they are the perfect cookie.

When I was first reading the recipe, I shuddered at the amount of butter called for. Then I got over it and made them anyway. I made a half batch that resulted in about 20 3-inch diameter cookies. My veganized version below is for the same sized batch.

What you need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 TB vegan butter, softened but not melted
• 1/3 cup plus 1 TB sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 TB brown sugar
• 1 flax egg (1 TB ground flax plus 2 1/2 TB hot water mixed, then let set 3 minutes)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup old-fashion oats (also called rolled oats)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I only use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips. They're accidentally vegan.)
• 1/3 cup plus 1 TB chopped pecans. I forgot to toast them first, but they were lovely anyway.
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

What you do with it:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment (if using parchment, give it a quick spritz of cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars till it looks smooth and such. Then add in the vanilla and flax egg and beat until perfectly combined.
4. Using a hand mixer, blend in the flour in several batches. I used mine on the low setting. If you over-beat the dough, the cookie texture will suck. So, only beat until you see no dry spots.
5. All at once, pour in the coconut, oats, pecan and chocolate chips. Run your hand mixer around about 3-4 times. Then stop. Remember, no overmixing.
   
   
   
6. I used a 1 1/2-inch dough scooper to plop them onto the cookie sheets. Be sure to put the dough balls 2 inches apart because they will spread. You can thank the butter for that. No, really, thank the butter! It makes them delectable.
   
   
   
7. Put the cookies on the 2 racks of your oven. After 6 minutes, switch them around so the bottom goes on top, etc. It helps them cook evenly this way. Cook another 5 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Remove from the oven and let sit on the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack.

Mwaaahaaahaaaaaaaaaa! I dare you not to start munching them while they're still steaming hot. Enjoy. They go perfectly with an ice-cold glass of almond milk.

Spicy Garlic Veggie Stirfry with Cashews - VeganMOFO #3

After a lion of a day at work today, I decided I needed large quantities of veggies. Like, a whole hell of a lot. They always have a way of making me feel super satisfied and cheerful. And, believe me, dudes, I ate a ton of this stirfry over some killer brown rice.

I know, I know, every veg*n starts with stirfry because they're easy. And, while that might be true, I still love me some stirfry. Especially with homemade sauce. Especially especially with lotsa garlic. Especially especially especially with some cashews. Especially especially....well, you get the point. Stirfry has infinite possibilities as far as sauces and veggie combos. I used a boatload of produce, but you can use whatever you have onhand. I planned to add some tempeh to this batch, but I forgot to take it out of the freezer before I went to work. Oops. That's why I added cashews. You caught me. I hereby proclaim that I am not perfect and I do, on occasion, make mistakes.

I have a secret... sometimes, when I'm in a rush, I steam the broccoli and carrots for a few minutes before adding it to the wok, or in my recent life, a large skillet. Sadly, my kitchen cabinets just aren't roomy enough for a full-size wok. Insert frowny face here. So, anyway, I cheat a little bit. But, what I lack in patience for cooking broccoli and carrots, I make up for in the yummy homemade sauce. It's super easy to make and tastes lovely. I add about 2/3 of the sauce to the skillet with the veggies, and add some to the served dishes for some extra spice.

Makes enough for 4-5 as a main dish if served over brown rice.

Sauce: 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 TB Braggs Aminos
• 1 TB rice vinegar
• 3 TB sesame oil
• 2 TB brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 TB sriracha sauce
• 5 cloves minced garlic

Mix all the ingredients together and let set while you cook the meal. 

Stirfry:

• 2 large carrots, sliced 1/8-1/4 inch thick
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 2 baby bok choy, chopped
• 1 small can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 slightly heaped cup of frozen edamame
• 1/4 of a large red onion, sliced thick
• 2 large handfuls of snow peas, ends trimmed
• 2 large handfuls of roasted cashews
• 4-5 large cremini mushrooms, sliced thick

Heat a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the veggies and cook for a couple minutes. Then add some sauce. Cook until the veggies are softened to your preference. Serve over some brown rice and add a smidge more sauce to your plate. Chow down.

The Best Salad I've Ever Had

I'm completely and totally obsessed with salads lately. Probably, I should be institutionalized. Today's lunch makes 6 salads in 3.5 days. I don't know what my deal is. I guess I neeeeeeeed raw veggies in my bellah. On the rainbow eating kick, I made this incredible salad. It has a little bit of everything. It's in a huge bowl and I ate it all myself with just a little bit of Italian dressing. I'm in love with adding so many flavors to my salads now.  Here's an overview so you can see it all:

Dudes and dudettes, I introduce to you the best salad I've ever had: The Rainbow Salad. Dig it. 

 

Red- handful of cherry tomatoes from my garden

Orange- 1 small carrot, thinly sliced

Yellow- 1/2 an ear of fresh (uncooked) corn cut from the cob
Green- 1 heart of romaine, 1/4 cup chopped cuke

Blue- handful of blueberries

Violet/Purple- handful of purple grapes, 2-3 TB diced purple onion

Brown- handful raw walnuts

Black- 1/4 cup black beans
Dressing- Don't worry, I'm not one of those folks who jabber on about how good salad is without dressing because it's not. Those people frighten me. My weapon dressing of choice is zesty Italian. Use a little...or a lot. Whatever. It's your salad. I only ask that if you make a shitty salad, don't tell me about it because I don't care. Now, if you make a killer salad to end all other salads, please share. Maybe instead of a dance-off, we can have a right proper salad-off and people can vote over who makes the better salad. But, I digress.

On days when I eat at least 5 colors, I seem to feel better. I feel lighter and have more energy. I'm going to keep going with it, and we'll see where I end up.Maybe there really is something to this whole "eat your colors" thing. I'm still a little skeptical, but I am keeping an open mind. I'm trying new combos of produce and I really am loving it. That's not even snarky.

Moroccan - Inspired Couscous! Vegan and Fab

 

Sometimes I like to try to clean out my cupboard when I make a recipe. You know how it is: you accidentally push half a box of couscous to the back of your shelf and forget all about it til you reach for the bag of pistachios in front. Then, surprise! And while you're digging around in the cupboard, you suddenly realize that you forgot about the jar of preserved lemons your friend sent you. The wheels get turning. Then, bam! You eye those golden raisins you thought you finished. And, voila, dinner is born. I find I often inadvertently push stuff to the back of the shelf when I get new groceries. Despite my efforts to not be lazy, I am always sometimes a slacker when it comes to my shelving of the new foods. Doesn't sound like you? Well, then I envy your cupboard skills. Go on, brag about it and get it over with.

So, now you know that this dinner was a cupboard cleaner. You could really customize it lots of different ways. This is just how I made it. And, I must say, it was quite scrumptious. The ingredient list looks daunting, but half of it consists of spices. Moroccan food typically has lots of spice. Feel free to add more of less of these. I found this is the perfect mix for my tastes. And, if you know me well, you'll be surprised to find this recipe contains neither onion nor garlic. Shocking, I know!

This makes enough for 3 as a main dish. Or 6 as a side. You can serve it cold or warm. I like it a little better warm, personally.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Israeli (also called Pearl) couscous
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 TB dried parsley
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2-2/3 cup roughly-chopped pistachios 
• 1 heaped cup cooked (or canned) chickpeas
• 2 TB preserved lemon, finely minced (you could substitute fresh lemon juice, I suppose)
• 1 TB olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to your tastes
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 scant tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/8-1/4 tsp cinnamon (I used a 1/8)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp paprika

Method:

1. Bring the water and parsley to a boil with a lid on the pot so none evaporates. Then remove from the burner, stir in the couscous, and cover for 8-10 minutes. It'll be ready when the liquid is all absorbed. While you wait, start with the rest of the recipe.
2. Whisk together your oil and vinegar and set aside. This is the dressing of sorts. 
3. Combine the spices in a separate bowl.
4. Your couscous should be ready by now, so go ahead and remove the lid. Add the chickpeas, raisins and pistachios and stir. Now add in the dressing and stir again. 
5. Add the spices a little at a time, stirring and tasting as you go. 
6. You can either serve it warm, like me. Or you can refrigerate it for an hour and serve cooled. Enjoy dudes and dudettes!

The Snarkiest Stuffed Peppers

Until a few days ago, I had never ever eaten a stuffed pepper. So, what, you ask, inspired me to make them? A sale on the colored bell peppers. They were a buck apiece instead of the ridiculous $2.00-3.00 each that they typically are here. I snagged 4 in the desperate hope that I'd find something to do with them. If all else failed, I'd be doing a lot of dipping in hummus. Alas, I got creative and made a very kickass stuffed pepper. I amaze myself sometimes. No, really, I do.

You eat quinoa, right? You better, because it is ridiculously healthy AND tastes really good, especially when paired with toasted almonds as it has a nutty flavor on its own. It has complete protein, fiber and nutrients. Dig it. It has other perks, too, like that fact that you can cook it up faster than brown rice, it's healthier than rice, and you can use it to replace rice in just about any dish. Oh, and did I mention it's really tasty? Don't believe me about quinoa's awesomeness? Read all about it here: Quinoa: An In-Depth Guide, WHFoods: Quinoa, and Livestrong. Or do your own search. You'll find that quinoa has a cult following for good reason: it's awesome. Moving on...

For this dish, I chose not to use green peppers because, although I do like green pepper, I can only handle them in small quantities. Gotta problem? I thought not. I used one red, one orange, and one yellow pepper, all quite large. They were heaping with delicious goodness. And, they helped me get rid of about a cup of cooked beans I had in my fridge. I've been trying extra hard to not waste any foods at all because I paid for it. And I hate wasting money. You should too, because in the US, the largest portion of materials heading to landfills is, get this, FOOD WASTE. Read all about it here: US EPA. Plus, you paid for that food, fucking use it. End rant. It's recipe time.

My recipe makes enough for 3 rather large peppers or 4 smaller ones, all packed to the brim.

Ingredients:

• 3 large bell peppers, or 4 smaller ones, tops sliced off, and ribs/seeds removed. Lightly slice the very bottoms so they will stand upright without falling, but be careful, otherwise you'll cut too far up and lose your bottom entirely. You want it to still be able to hold the filling!
• 1/2 cup (slightly heaped) dry quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 cup raw almonds, chopped to your liking
• heaping 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 cup cooked beans (mine was 2/3 black-eyed peas, 1/3 chickpeas)
• 4 oz, about half a package of fresh mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 big handful baby spinach, shredded
• a few shakes of coriander
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Get a baking dish and lightly spray the bottom with cooking oil. Set aside.
2. Bring the water to boil in a small pot with a sprinkle of salt. Once boiling, mix in the quinoa, turn the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook until the water is pretty much all absorbed. This will take about 15-20 minutes depending on how old your quinoa is. It'll probably take longer if its older. You will see the little tails from the seed and the texture will be a little chewy, like brown rice. Meanwhile, get started on the rest of the steps.
3. Throw your beans and mushrooms into a the food processor and whir until you don't see any whole beans or large mushroom chunks. Put into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
4. In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, almonds, garlic and carrot. Cook until the onion is partially translucent. Then add in the spinach to wilt. Should take another 3-5 minutes. Be sure to stir regularly so nothing sticks to the pan. By the time this is done, your quinoa should be ready.
5. Add the quinoa and the veggies to the mixing bowl with the beans. Mix it all really well and add your spices. Adjust as necessary. 
6. Use a large spoon to fill the peppers, gently packing it down as you go. Pack those buggers. Then set the peppers right side up in the baking dish. Pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the dish, enough to cover the whole bottom of the dish. Spritz the tops with some cooking spray (keeps foil from sticking to the filling) then cover with foil. Bake about 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are slightly soft to the touch. You need to let them cool some before digging in, duh. I liked mine a little closer to room temperature, but whatever. Enjoy.

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Banana Nut Pancakes

I have really been addicted to making pancakes lately, and really, who the hell doesn't love pancakes? They're so easy and so tasty, and leftovers heat up nicely in the microwave. You can use any fruit you have laying around, I guess, but an overripe banana add sweetness without having to add additional sugar. Plus, I am always looking for recipes to use up the bananas I forget to eat. Additionally, I had a handful of walnuts that were close to their expiration date, too, so I used them up. Thus, Banana Walnut Pancakes were born! I will definitely make these tasty babies again soon. They taste a bit like banana nut bread in pancake form...YUM! You can't resist. Really, you can't. I've embedded this page with hypnotic messages that you can't ignore. Muahaahaaaaaa! My evil plan is coming together nicely.

As always, they are probably tasty drizzled in maple syrup, but I am not much of a sweet breakfast kind of girl. So, I just slather on a little (or maybe a lot) of Earth Balance and chow down. You may do whatever you want. I guess. But, just so you know, if you ask me I will tell you that my way is best. Because it is.

This recipe will make about ten 4-inch pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 tsp (heaping) cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• a shake or two of nutmeg
• 1 over-ripe banana
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I toasted mine in the oven for about 10 minutes @ 350 degrees F)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•  Ener-G egg replaceer totaling 1 egg, mixed and ready to be used
• cooking spray or a bit of Earth Balance to grease the pan

Method:

1. Mix your flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix your milk, oil, vanilla, and egg replacer well.
3. Mash your banana very well with a fork and add to your wet bowl. Mix well.
4. Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredient bowl. I used a whisk to combine until there were no dry powders visible. Be careful not to overmix or else your pancakes will not poof up when you cook them. Your batter should be kind of lumpy.
5. Fold in your walnuts.
6. Heat a non-stick skillet/frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes before adding batter. Spray with your cooking spray or a drop few small dabs of Earth Balance where you will be pouring your batter.
7. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour your batter onto the hot pan. Once the batter starts to get medium-sized bubbles in their middles (about 3-4 minutes), gently use your spatula to flip the pancakes over. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are browned to your liking.
8. Serve the pancakes up with some butter and maple syrup (if you must). 

If you use maple syrup, let me know what you think of it. Also, I'd like to know: do you smother with syrup or just drizzle some on top? I'm inexperienced in such syrupy matters.

Veggie Couscous!

I love couscous and I just don't seem to make it often enough lately.  So, I had to make it tonight.  I got creative and added all sorts of tasty stuff to it.  Carrots, zucchini, onion, garlic, mushrooms, golden raisins, toasted almonds and some peas all play a tasty role in my dinner. I used whole wheat couscous, which I love love love!

I also love me some Caesar salad, so I sort of devised my own recipe based on a bunch of other recipes I found online.  And, mine is vegan, which makes it even better than all the others, at least in my way of thinking.  I like it a bit tangy, and with lots of garlic. YUM.

Remember: If you make couscous from dry, it doubles when you cook it. I always forget this. And end up making a TON. So, 1 cup dry couscous will make at least 2 cups cooked couscous.  I always forget, so I just want to make sure you realize how much you're about to make.

Couscous Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry couscous
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 4 large cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small-medium carrot thinly sliced
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup frozen or fresh peas
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2/3 cup to 1 full cup raw almonds, roughly chopped and briefly toasted
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• cooking spray

Couscous Method:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add in the carrots and zucchini. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring once.
2. Meanwhile, boil your water with some salt in a large sauce pan. 
3. Add the onion, and cook 4 minutes.
4. Add garlic, peas and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes. Add any salt or pepper you want.
5. While you are doing step 4, you should add the couscous to the water, stir briefly. Then remove the pan from the burner and add the lid to the pan. This will take about 5 minutes or so to cook.  then remove lid and fluff with a fork.
6. Now, add your veggies to the couscous, along with your almonds and raisins. And stir well. You may need a bit more salt here, or maybe that is just me because I LOVE SALT.

Caesar Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus 3 TB Veganaise
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 TB capers, without their brine
• 1/3 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 TB lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 3 TB nutritional yeast
• a few shakes garlic powder
• a few shakes onion powder
• 1 1/2 TB dijon mustard

Dressing Method:

1. Put all ingredients into blender and whir until well combined.  Easy Peasy.

Cinnamon Pecan Pancakes -- VeganMOFO #24

What better way to start my day than with some incredible pancakes! My favorite hole-in-the-wall pancake joint closed up a while back and I haven't been able to find any pancakes that compare. Yesterday, that all changed. These vegan pancakes are moist, fluffy and killer tasty. I found the skeleton for the recipe here, but changed things to make them more flavorful and to use my on-hand ingredients. And, I have to say, these are the best pancakes I've ever had. I also added some golden flax meal for additional nutrients (click here for more info on flax). You can really get creative using the base recipe, adding other nuts, fruits, flours and spices. I happened to have some chopped pecans in my cupboard and a boatload of cinnamon, so that's what I used. I think cinnamon apple pancakes are in my future, though. I served mine with just a bit of Earth Balance vegan butter and they were so insanely killer. I'm sure they would be just as tasty with a little maple syrup drizzled over top, but I'm not much of a syrup kind of gal.  These go great with the Potato Onion Hash that I made yesterday-- or probably any sort of breakfast-y potato.

If you've followed my blog, you'll know that I always toast nuts that I'm using in my recipes.  I toss them into a skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.  They start to become aromatic and that's when you know they're done.  Watch them carefully, because they can burn easily.  When done, remove from pan and set aside to stop them from cooking further.  Toasting nuts brings them to an entirely new level of flavor, and they go perfectly in these pancakes.

This recipe makes about 6-7 DVD-sized pancakes.

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup, plus 2 TB milk of your choice
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 TB sugar (I used 1 & 1/2 TB brown sugar and 1 & 1/2 TB granulated sugar)
• 1 egg replacement (I used Ener-G)
• 1 TB golden flax meal (optional - for additional healthy nutrients)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 & 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, except the nuts. In a medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients.
2. Pour the wet into the dry, stirring until just combined. It will be a bit lumpy. If you keep stirring the batter here, the pancakes won't be fluffy. Now, gently fold the pecans into the batter.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with a non-stick cooking spray or use a little dollop of your favorite vegan butter.
4. Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour batter into pan. I used about 1/3 cup for each pancake.
5. When the batter gets bubbles forming on the top (about 3 minutes), gently flip over with a spatula. Cook about 2 minutes longer, or until both sides are a nice, golden brown. Repeat until your batter is all gone.
6. Serve these babies up nice and hot with a bit of vegan butter and a glass of juice. You absolutely won't regret it.

Maple Walnut Roasted Apples -- Vegan MOFO #21

Fall is an absolutely gorgeous time in Michigan.  The leaves start turning from green to yellow, orange and flaming red.  The air turns crisp and the farmer's markets have an abundance of apples that you can get super cheap!  It is the absolute perfect time to indulge in an apple buying binge...which is how I found this recipe in Vegetarian Times (2010, April).  I was struggling to use up my apples, so I started scrounging around through cookbooks and food magazines for the perfect recipe.  I did change a little bit of this recipe, but not much.  The recipe below is for my version.  This is for 4 servings (1 serving = 1/2 of an apple), but it is super easy to double/triple/quadruple/whatev.

For this recipe, I used 2 medium-sized Pinata/Pinova apples, but you can use any apple you want.  I like to use a sweet apple that has a hint of tart. I also highly recommend using an apple corer, because it makes a pretty little circle in the apple instead of having to hack out the core with a knife. Also, definitely take a few minutes and toast your walnuts in a small pan. To do this, just turn your burner to medium heat and put your chopped walnuts in a skillet. Stir or shake them around every minute or two, until the nuts are fully heated through and you can smell them toasting.  This should take about 4-6 minutes, so be careful to watch them because they can burn very quickly. Quickly remove from heat and set aside.  I rarely use nuts in recipes without toasting them anymore.  The heat brings out a more intense flavor to the nuts.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium or large apples, halved around the equator, washed, cored
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 TB brown sugar
• 2/3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• dash of salt
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted as explained above

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place the apples cut side up in a baking dish, and lightly drizzle the cut sides with half of the lemon juice.
3. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then, sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the cut sides of the apples. 

4. Pour maple syrup into the bottom of the dish, not on the apples, but around them. Cover dish with foil and bake 10 minutes.
5. Remove foil and cook about 15 more minutes (or until apples are as soft as you like them). Then, transfer apples to a serving dish.
6. Pour the syrup and pan juices from the baking dish into a small saucepan and heat on medium-high, adding the rest of the lemon and start whisking. Bring the syrup to a boil (takes about 3 minutes) and add the walnuts, still whisking. Let bubble up and thicken for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

7. Using a spoon, drizzle the syrup and nuts over the apples, including the core holes. Serve nice and hot!

Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies -- VeganMOFO #14

By popular demand, I am sharing my ultra-top secret recipe for my vegan Double Chocolate Pecan cookies.  They taste like brownies, but come in convenient cookie size.  If you add a tiny bit more flour, they stay more brownie-like in consistency, add a bit more butter, and they get a bit thinner and crispier around the edges.  I like them both ways, so this recipe is sort of an in-between of the two.  I always toast my pecans in a skillet over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes stirring often so they don't burn.  It brings the taste of the pecans to an entirely new level.  You can also cut the salt amount in half, but I love a tiny hint of salt taste to accompany the sweet chocolate taste.  But, maybe that's just me.  And, since the batter has no raw eggs, feel free to eat a bunch and only bake a little.  It's really that good.  Everyone who's tried these amazing cookies has begged for more, omni or not.  So, I think it's safe to say that I rule for creating them. HAHA.  I crack me up.  But, really, they are freaking wonderful.

This recipe is for 18-25 cookies, depending on the size you make them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 TB Earth Balance butter, don't melt, but soften for a bit
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg replacement (I use Ener-G)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 TB unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 bag semisweet vegan chocolate chips
• 1 cup of toasted, chopped pecans

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Depending on the size of the cookie sheet, you may need to use two. 
2. In mixing bowl, cream together butter and both sugars with an electric hand mixer until fluffy.  Add in the egg replacement and vanilla, then beat well.
3. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Then,  slowly blend the dry ingredients into the moist using the hand mixer until just combined (no visible dry spots).
4. Gently fold the chocolate chips and the toasted pecans into the mix with a wooden spoon. 
5. Scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet, leaving the scoops at least 1 inch apart.  You'll need more space if you've decided to add more butter, as they will spread out more.  Cook 10-14 minutes, depending on the size.  I use the toothpick test to determine doneness.  The cookies puff while cooking, then flatten somewhat after you remove them from the oven.
6. Let cool about 5 minutes on an cooling rack...if you can.  I dare you to wait the full 5 minutes.