Vegan Mexican Casserole

Ok, so I did manage to try out a new recipe last night... and since the family is sleeping in this morning, I thought I'd do a quick post.


This vegan Mexican Casserole came in at about 30 minutes - I decided to cheat and use canned vegetables (mostly), so if you're using fresh chopped tomatoes and such, it would probably take considerably longer. Either way, it's well worth the time.



Vegan Mexican Casserole


6 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips
1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
1 small can black olives, sliced
White vinegar
1 tsbp extra virgin olive oil
1 package taco seasoning
1 can golden corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers (not drained)
1 package Soyrizo
1 small can diced green chiles
1 package Veggie Shreds Cheddar and Pepperjack "Cheese"




Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In separate bowls, add enough vinegar to cover the onions and olives. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to marinate.

In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes, black beans, and taco seasoning. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add olive oil to a medium skillet and brown Soyrizo according to package directions.




Drain olives and onions.



Layer corn tortilla strips, soyrizo, corn, chiles, onions, olives, tomato/black bean mixture, and "cheese" in a casserole dish.

Cover casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes.



As you can see from the picture, my baking-dish-to-plate execution left a bit to be desired. I was envisioning a neat sort of lasagna-like stack, but it all fell apart as soon as it hit the plate. Maybe it was repulsed by the tacky gingham-and-sunflower pattern, which was, I believe, the result of a wedding gift gone awry.



I wish I could say that the green blob appearing here is my made-from scratch guacamole, but the truth is, the avocados at the store were in a pretty sorry state. A few were still green and hard as a brick; the rest were pitifully over-ripe. So I ended up buying the guacamole from the deli. Not bad, I guess. Just not good either.

Okay, time to venture out for some last minute holiday purchases. We had freezing rain last night (I nearly killed myself on the driveway), but strangely, it's back up to about 50 degrees today.

I leave you with a pic of my smug daughter, who had just conned us out of and early gift - Spongebob pajamas. Is it any wonder the kid is spoiled?

Vegan Black Bean Soup

Man alive, it's freezing here in Ohio! So it's time for a nice winter soup... this time, I've chosen black bean soup. Spicy, hearty, and thoroughly yummy, this soup has become a staple of our winter fare.

It's also pretty easy to make - it easily falls into the coveted "under 30 minutes" category, which makes me a pretty happy guy.

So, without further nonsense, here's a happy (and I mean Bob Ross happy) little recipe to brighten these crappy winter days.

Vegan Black Bean Soup

4 cans vegetable broth
2 cans black beans
1 can chili hot beans
1 can golden corn
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 stalks celery
2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 medium red onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1/3 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 cup long grain brown rice, uncooked
vegan shredded cheese (optional)

Pour 1 can black beans, 1 can vegetable broth, and 1 can tomatoes into a blender; blend until smooth.

Place remainder of ingredients (except for shredded cheese) into a large stock pot; bring to a boil. Add mixture from blender, return to boil. Lower heat to medium and let cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice and vegetables have cooked through.

Serve with vegan shredded cheese, if desired.

Now, I know you're expecting some pithy statement, silly sidebar, or nugget of nonsense... but I've got stuff to do, so I'm going to take it easy with the crapola tonight. So all you get is a recipe. Consider yourself duly shortchanged.

Oh, I noticed that my recipe for Vegan Seitan with Sesame Garlic Sauce was featured on several blogs over the past few days. Hell, Digg it, StumbleUpon it, whatever... I'm happy to spread the garlicky goodness.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

With the holidays looming near, I'm finding myself in the mood for chocolate chip cookies. Thing is, it's pretty tough to just stop by the local supermarket and buy a batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies. Sure, they've got them at Whole Foods, but I'm just not impressed with what they offer.

So I decided to make my own vegan chocolate chip cookies. After scouring the internet for ideas on how to make cookies that don't suck, I ran across this video. I more or less followed the recipe, the cookies were pure yumminess, and even my non-vegan friends liked them.

I didn't have the foresight to make a video of my endeavor, so I decided to just post the video I used. Enjoy!




Oh, by the way, the lovely lady in this video has, among other resources, a great vegan blog. Go check it out!

Vegan Seitan Stir Fry with Sesame Garlic Sauce

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I'm rather partial to Iron Chef sauces. Most of them are vegan, and they take a heck of a lot of work out of making stir frys.

I'm sure there are some purists that would shake their heads at my little shortcuts, but hey... I'm a working guy with a family. If I can make a tasty vegan meal without spending hours in the kitchen, then by Cthulhu, I'll do it!

Today's recipe is a stupidly simple one, with relatively few ingredients. Aside from steaming the rice, this dish took all of 15 minutes to put together. That gave me plenty of time to play Candy Land with the kidlet, floss my cat, and spend some time on some of my other hairbrained endeavors.

So here we go:

Vegan Seitan Stir Fry with Sesame Garlic Sauce

1 package chicken style seitan, drained
1 large crown (about 2 cups) fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch scallioned, sliced
1 can Asian style baby corn
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bottle Iron Chef Sesame Garlic Sauce
1/2 tbsp Korean Chili Sauce (It has a rooster on the label - I have no idea why)
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1 cup uncooked brown long grain rice

Cook rice according to package directions. In my world, this actually means according to the little instruction booklet that came with my rice cooker - 1 cup of water in the rice, 1 1/2 cups water in the steamer, cook for about an hour. I tend to start the rice well before I get anything else ready... usually even before I go to the store to pick up whatever ingredients I've forgotten.

Pour olive oil in a wok or large skillet; heat on medium high for 1 minute. Add seitan; stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the remainder of the vegetables. Continue to stir fry for about 5 minutes. (Any longer, and the broccoli tends to get a bit icky.)

Turn heat to low; add chili sauce and tamari. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add Sesame Garlic sauce; stir for another 30 seconds.

Serve over brown rice.

One tip I should give: I listed the measurement of the Korean Chili Sauce as 1/2 tbsp. In case you're new here, I like things hot. Maybe not quite as hot as when I was young and thought I was cool... but hot nonetheless. 1/2 tbsp puts you comfortably in the "my forehead is sweating" range. Any more than that, and you're probably approaching "my head just blew clean off" territory. Just sayin'.

Incidentally, you may be wondering about the egg roll in the picture. Egg roll = "made with eggs" = not vegan, right?

Usually, yes. But Health is Wealth makes a pretty good vegan egg roll. We have a local store called Raisin Rack that carries them; I have no idea where else you can find them. Maybe Whole Foods? If you can find them, though, they're well worth the extra buck or two you'll pay (and if you shop for vegan foods, you should be used to this by now).

So there you go. Vegan Seitan Stir Fry with Sesame Garlic Sauce... just the kick to warm the cockles of your heart as the weather turns downright dismal.

(Irrelevant tangent: I grew up with the phrase "warm the cockles of your heart"... but never really considered what it meant. For an overly nerdy explanation, go visit World Wide Words, where you'll find out more than you ever wanted to know about this weird little idiom.)

Vegan Huevos Rancheros (and a brief poll)

There's a brief poll at the end of this post. If you would be kind enough to give your opinion in comment form, it would be much appreciated (even if I don't like what you have to say...)


Ok, so no video today... My old Dell laptop (yes, it was old at the ripe age of 3) crapped out its hard drive, so I've been furiously trying to save files and import them to its replacement (an ACER Extensa 4420... at just over $400, this thing was a steal)...

But I digress.

Today's recipe is all about comfort food... you know, those meals that make things better, no how crappy your day has been. We've all got 'em... and since I'm still working through the batch of chili I made a while back, it was time to veganize one of my other favorite comfort foods...

Huevos rancheros.

I wasn't sure how to tackle this one, but it turned out to be fairly easy. About the worst thing I can say is that it takes several skillets, which is usually a no-no in my world. But hey, sometimes a bit of comfort food is worth it. So here we go...

Vegan Huevos Rancheros

2 corn tortillas
Olive oil
1/2 package Morningstar Farms Soyrizo
1/2 package firm tofu, drained, pressed, and crumbled
1/3 medium red onion, finely diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp turmeric
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/3 tbsp cayenne pepper, ground
Fresh guacamole

Place tofu in a medium skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Heat for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.

In a separate skillet, brown the Soyrizo in 1 tbsp olive oil.

Place 2 tbsp olive oil in yet another skillet, heat. Fry corn tortillas for about 1 minute on each side, transfer to serving plates.

Place a layer of Soyrizo crumbles on each tortilla, then top with tofu mixture.

Layer on onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, and cilantro. Top with guacamole.


Good for your body? Probably not (although much beter than the omni version).

Good for your soul? Boy howdy!


Speaking of "good for the soul", VeggieGirl did a post on yeast-free sweetbreads. Ah, the siren call of carbs run amok...


Ok, so here's the poll.

The Veggie Guy is kicking around the idea of adding a cookbook to his list of endeavors. Obviously, this would be a collection of vegan recipes, but I want to focus on meals that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. If I published such a book, would you most likely:

A) Buy it
B) Borrow it
C) Steal it
D) Recommend it to a friend
E) Roll your eyes and chuckle
F) Say, "Please, I have enough cookbooks already. I need room for groceries, hombre!"
G) Flat out advise me against such a hoopleheaded endeavor?

So let's hear it! If none of the above apply, make something up, or just say, "Meat."

Quick Baba Ghannouj Demo

The Veggie Guy and his imp-ish sidekick, Aria, return with a kinder, gentler demonstration on making baba ghannouj for fun and profit - or at least for a tasty snack with pita chips.





In case you don't have time to follow along (or you've seen enough of my videos to realize they're complete rubbish), here's the breakdown:

Vegan Baba Ghannouj

2 eggplants (aubergines)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 cup soy milk
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tahini
1/3 tsp ground cayenne pepper (BIG surprise!)
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

With a large knife, make several slits in each eggplant to keep them from exploding in the oven (believe me, I've had it happen. Nothing like a late-night date with a can of oven cleaner).

Place eggplants directly on top oven rack and bake for 50 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes to make sure eggplant is roasted thoroughly. Remiove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

De-stem and peel skin from eggplants. Cut eggplant flesh into 1/2 inch cubes, transfer to blender.

Add soy milk, garlic, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, tahini, and garlic to eggplant. Puree for 60-90 seconds.

Pour into serving bowls. If desired, chill for 30 minutes before serving.

So there you go. No shennanigans, no pumpkin roadkill... just a tasty Mediterranean dip with a nice little kick. Aren't you proud of me? :-)

Autumn Vegan Tacos with Roasted Corn Tomatillo Salsa

Ok, so here's my first shot at video blogging. As it were, my 5-year-old daughter was the only available camera-person, so it's a pretty... interesting video. So take it in context. My wife tells me she'll help out with future video blogging efforts, so long as I give her a bit of advance notice.



Autumn Veggie Tacos with Roasted Corn Tomatillo Salsa

Tacos:

4 corn tortillas, taco size
1 cup asparagus, trimmed
1 cup yellow squash, diced
1/2 large jalapeno, diced
1/3 xup red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped portabella mushrooms
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp groud cumin
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp olive oil
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed


Salsa

1 can yellow corn, drained
3 large tomatillos, husked and diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/32 jalapeno pepper, diced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drain corn; empty onto kitchen towel. Press dry with a second kitchen towel. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray; arrange corn in a single layer; bake for 15 minutes.

Combine olive oil, asparagus, yellow squash, red bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno. Stir fry on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.

Meanwhile, mash together avocado, cumin, and cayenne. Set aside.

Combine chopped tomatillos, cilantro, 2 cloves chopped garlic, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Place in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Warm tortillas in a microwave for 30 seconeds, or steam for 2 minutes to soften.

Fill tortillas with vegetable mixture; top with avocado mixture. Serve with tortilla chips and corn-tomatillo salsa.

Tarragon Stuffed Eggplant

My wife has been bugging me to make stuffed eggplant for a while now... it was a staple of our menu a couple of years ago, but for some reason, I had forgotten about it.

I've made a few changes from the old version... I used to use soy sauce (probably out of a lack of imagination more than anything else), but for this version, I substituted tarragon vinegar and added fresh chopped sage.

The old version also involved stir-frying the filling before stuffing and baking the eggplants. I dunno - maybe I was afraid of getting Mad Mushroom Disease. Anyway, I skipped this step, and it greatly improved the dish.

Enough blathering...


Tarragon Stuffed Eggplant

1 large eggplant (aubergine), cut in half lengthwise
2 baby portabella or 2 large white button mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup orange bell pepper, chopped
1 large roma tomato, chopped
2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
1/3 cup tarragon vinegar
2 oz vegan mozzarella"cheese"
1/2 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Scoop out flesh from eggplant halves, chop coarsely and place in a large bowl. Mix mushrooms, orange bell pepper, tomatoes, and sage with the chopped eggplant. Add tarragon vinegar and mix well.

Stuff eggplant shells with vegetable and mushroom mixture. Place stuffed eggplant sells on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle dried parsley over top and serve.
Sprinkle vegan "cheese" on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Vegan Recipe: Spicy Marinated Tofu with Avocado Sauce

So tonight's entry went down something like this:

All day, I had it in my head that I'd like to try marinating tofu in adobo sauce. After all, you can buy jalapenos packed in adobo sauce, so I figured I must be able to buy the stuff in a jar by itself, right?

Nope. At least not at the Kroger down the street.

So I stood in the Mexican foods section, staring at the bottles and jars of things which, for the most part, I was entirely unfamiliar with. I found dry adobo seasoning, but I figured tofu wasn't really going to absorb the taste of that very well. Tofu is a rather recalcitrant substance, after all.

I realized I looked like some dumb tourist that had wandered off the beaten path in a Mexican village, and decided that I needed to come up with Plan B quickly.

So I grabbed a jar of something called "sofrito", gathered the rest of my groceries, and headed home, confident that I had salvaged my plan.

That is, until I tasted the sauce.

It turns out, sofrito has a pretty heavy green bell pepper taste. There aren't too many vegetables I don't like, but I absolutely hate green bell peppers. Bah.

So now what?

Clearly, it was time to improvise. So a quick scan of the pantry, a couple of irrational decisions, and a Hail Mary was launched to try to make this potential disaster work.

Amazingly, it did work. So here you go:

Spicy Marinated Tofu with Avocado Sauce

1 package extra firm tofu, frozen and thawed

1 tbsp olive oil

Marinade for tofu:

1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce

1/3 tbsp cayenne pepper

1/3 tbsp cumin

1/3 tbsp garlic salt

Avocado sauce:

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup plain soy milk

1 clove of garlic, peeled

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Garnish:

1 small/medium tomato, diced

1/4 cup fresh scallions

Mix all marinade ingredients in a flat casserole dish.

Drain tofu. Wrap it in a dishtowel and press out excess water. The more water you remove, the better the tofu will absorb the marinade.

Slice tofu into 8 pieces, cutting across the longer side of the tofu block (pieces will be about 1/2" thick). Place slices in marinade, making sure that the tofu is completely covered. If it's not, you'll need to turn it a few times while it is marinating. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Remove tofu slices from marinade and place in a large skillet with the olive oil. Turn several times during cooking. I pan fried the tofu for about 8 minutes, which seemed just about right. Any longer, and I think the tomato sauce would have started burning.

Place all of the avocado sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Transfer tofu slices to plates. Spoon avocado sauce over tofu, garnish with tomatoes and scallions.

Notes:

Not much to say, other than it turned out wonderfully, despite my trepidation. I really did use a lot of cayenne pepper in the marinade, but the cool, citrus taste of the avocado sauce balanced out the heat.

Oh, and it really is important that you wait as long as you can before making the avocado sauce - preferably until the tofu is almost done. Right out of the blender, it has a nice, vivid green color that compliments the deep orange-red of the tofu to create a visually appealing dish.

After dinner, though, I noticed that the leftover avocado sauce had turned an icky brownish green color - kind of like what it would look like if the neighbor kid rode his bike through your hostas right after a thunderstorm. About 12 times.

Anyway, the only thing I would change here is the side dish. I decided on baked tortilla chips (take tortillas, cut them like a pizza, bake on a nonstick baking pan at 400 degrees for six minutes) and fresh salsa... but that wasn't quite right. Not bad, just not right.

I'll have to ponder that. If you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to try them out.

On a completely unrelated note, I'll leave you with this picture I took of my daughter this morning as she was leaving for school. She was proud of her new dress, so I couldn't deny her a couple of pictures.

Vegan Recipe: Portabella Caps with Mustard Crusted Tofu

There really isn't much of a story to go with tonight's entry. I had no idea what to make for dinner, so I simply drove to the market, planted myself firmly in the produce section, and waited for inpiration.

Fortunately, the produce gods came through, by casting my gaze at two plump, fresh portabella caps.

The rest just fell into place.

I think Carla was a little concerned when she asked what I was making, and I responded, "I really have no idea."

Then I threw her out of the kitchen.

Anyway, this is a relatively simple dish (meaning few ingredients), and I think that with a little practice, it could make the coveted "under 30 minutes" category.

So without further prefacing, I give you a recipe that came out of the blue, but turned out wonderfully:

Portabella Caps with Mustard Crusted Tofu

2 large portabella caps, stems removed
1 medium tomato, diced
4 oz extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
White cooking wine
2 tbsp sweet and spicy mustard
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried parsley

Mix 1/4 cup white cooking wine, mustard, and sage in a large, shallow bowl. Add tofu and mix to coat.

Steam broccoli florets in a vegetabole steamer for 20 minutes, or place broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup water and microwave for 4 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup white cooking wine in a large skillet. Place portabella caps in skillet and cook on medium heat, stem side up, for 5 minutes. Turn portabella caps, sprinkle basil on top, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add more white cooking wine as needed.

Place tofu and mustard in a medium skillet and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

Transfer portabella caps to plates, stem side up.

Place tofu, tomatoes, and steamed broccoli in a bowl (I use one of those food storage containers with a lid) and shake to mix. Don't worry, you didn't miss a step - I didn't cook the tomatoes.

Spoon tofu and vegetable mixture over portabella caps. Sprinkle dried parsley on top.

That's it! As you can see, I served this dish with vegetable rice and french bread, and it all turned out quite nicely. The picture's a little fuzzy, but what can I say... I need a new digital camera.

And Carla, who had been watching from the living room, said she was quite pleased with my creation. Especially since she saw me mix white cooking wine and mustard together, and was convinced that dinner was indeed doomed.

Admittedly, it's a bit of an odd combination, but sometimes you have to experiment to get out of a food rut.

And sometimes, it even turns out well. :-)

Recipe: Vegan Savory Crepes

Tonight was a bit of a dinner stalemate. Carla and I took turns asking each other the ever-dangerous question, "So what do you want for dinner?"

Why is it dangerous? Because when neither of us can come up with anything, I end up heading to the store with absolutely no clue of what I'm going to get into. Then I get all creative, and end up spending half the evening making a huge mess in the kitchen.

We reached such a stalemate tonight, so off I went.

Actually, this time I had at least a vague plan. I remembered a recipe I saw this morning for crepes... so by the time I got to the grocery, I already had devious ideas swirling in my head.

Unlike most of my more creative...uh, creations, this one turned out phenomenal, if a bit messy. And the good thing is, even though I didn't have most of the ingredients on hand to make vegan crepes, now I have the stuff to make about a bazillion of them. So I guess it's a good thing they turned out well!

Anyway, here you go... Vegan Savory Crepes.

I unabashedly swiped the batter recipe from Recipezaar:

1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
1 tsp vegan sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, set in refrigerator and let chill for 2 hours. (Really. That's what the recipe said - 2 hours. I think mine chilled for maybe 20 minutes and the crepes turned out just fine, thankyouverymuch.)

Filling:

1 yellow squash, cut into thin rounds
1 zucchini squash, cut into thin rounds
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (I only used the top 3 inches)
4 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 tbsp dried sage
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tbsp dried parsley
Olive oil cooking spray

Place yellow squash, zucchini squash, asparagus, and red bell pepper in vegatble steamer and steam for 30 minutes.

Remove red bell pepper and mushroom slices. Place in a blender with 1/4 cup soy milk, 1/2 of the basil and 1/2 of the sage. Blend until smooth.

Coat a 5-6" cooking pan with olive oil spray, turn on medium heat. Pour in enough crepe batter to cover bottom of pan. You may have to use a wooden spoon to smooth out the batter so it will cover the entire bottom of the pan. Cook batter 2-3 minutes or until the bottom begins to brown. Flip crepe can cook the other side an additional 2-3 minutes.

Transfer crepe to a plate. Cover half of the crepe with the mushroom mixture. Arrange zucchini squash, yellow squash, and asparagus spears over the mushroom mixture. Sprinkle sage and basil on top of the vegetables. Fold the uncovered half of the crepe over the vegetables, and sprinkle dried parsley over the crepe.

Repeat for the additional crepes. My recipe made 4 crepes (plus one that didn't quite make it).

I served these tasty crepes with a simple salad and french bread and Earth Balance vegan butter.

Now, I resolved to start taking pictures of my creations to post on my blog, but I forgot about it until about halfway through dinner. That's okay, though - Carla has informaed me that I will be making these quite often, so I'm sure I'll get another chance soon.

Recipe: Teriyaki Tofu Vegetable Kebabs

I know, I know... I said the next several posts were going to be about sushi. But what can I say - I have the attention span of a three-year-old. I'll get back to it, I promise.

I've been distracted by the brief span of warm weather we've had here in Ohio (both days of it!), and when warm weather hits, my attention turns to... the grill!

My in-laws wonder why I still have a grill - they think it's just for burning up hamburgers and steaks. But vegetarians and vegans can do lots of great things on the grill. Here's one of 'em:

Teriyaki Tofu Vegetable Kebabs

1 package of extra firm tofu (the kind packed in water, not that icky "silken" stuff
1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell peopper, each cut into 1' x 1" (roughly) square pieces
1 package (8 oz) white button mushrooms, whole
1 zucchini squash, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2" thick rounds
6 oz teriyaki marinade (no, I don't make my own)
4 bamboo skewers (you can get about a hundred of these for a dollar at any big-chain supermarket)

Step 1 (Optional, but recommended)

Toss the package of tofu in the freezer and leave it overight. Take it out in the morning and let the package set at room temperature until thawed. Freezing improves tofu's consistency, and gives it a (dare I say it!) meaty texture.

Step 2

Drain tofu. Press with paper towels or a clean dish towel to remove excess water. Cut tofu into 1" cubes.

Step 3

Load tofu, green/red bell pepper pieces, mushrooms, and zucchini/yello squash pieces onto each of the skewers in an alternating pattern. Leave 2" on each end of the skewer so you can turn it (and so stuff doesn't fall off). Place skewers in teriyaki marinade.

Step 4

Light grill and set to medium-high heat. Turn the kebabs in the marinade every few minutes to make sure they're covered.

Step 5

Place kebabs directly on the grill. You can use cooking spray, but I've found that if the kebabs are properly lubricated with marinade, they don't seem to stick anyway.

Turn kebabs about every 5 minutes or whenever you get bored with standing in front of the grill.

In about 20 minutes, you'll have piping hot, yummy tofu vegetable kebabs!

Vegan Capellini Pomodoro

Sadly, I have no good story to go along with tonight's recipe. I wanted pasta, I was in a hurry, and Ragu just wasn't going to cut it. End of story.

So without further nonsense and/or fanfare, I give you: Vegan Capellini Pomodoro

1 lb. angel hair pasta (or penne regate, or farfalle, or whatever the hell shape of pasta strikes your fancy)
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 large roma tomatoes, diced
4 oz white or portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 large red bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, sliced and quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
6 oz vegetarian vegetable broth (we've been over this before, but it bears repeating: not all "vegetable broth" is vegetarian. Those sneaky bastids will add chicken stock to make processing easier.)
2 oz white cooking wine (mine says "chablis". Your mileage may vary.)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried sage

Now...

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, run cool water over the pasta, and set aside.

Steam asparagus in a vegetable steamer or over a large pot of boiling water. Asparagus this time of year tends to be a bit tough (ok, you can fence with it) so give it a good 20-25 minutes of steaming time while you're going through the rest of the steps.

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan for 1 minute. Add broth, white cooking wine, tomatoes, sage, oregano, and red bell pepper, cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms, cook for an additional 2 minutes. Turn heat to low and cover. Let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Add steamed asparagus to vegetable/broth mixture, let simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Serve veggies over pasta.

Note: This recipe doesn't quite make my coveted "under 30 minutes" collection. I clocked the prep time tonight at 34 minutes. This might have been because I was tired/disorganized/drinking cheap beer. If you can do it in under 30, email me, and I'll take your word for it.

Spinach wraps

Now, if you've read the previous post, you might have surmised that I had a batch of baby spinach to use up. You'd be right. Hey, we (I) here at The Veggie Guy don't believe in waste, or in having stuff turn into bags of runny brown goo at the back of the fridge.

So... I made spinach wraps tonight. Pretty easy stuff, and you can substitute pretty much whatever you don't like.

So here goes:

2 large whole wheat or sprouted grain tortillas
1 handful fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup roma tomatos, diced
1 avocado, mashed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chopped fresh basil or 1/4 tsp dried basil
4 oz white button mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely diced
2 oz canned artichoke hearts (packed in water, not oil)

Heat oil in a medium pan. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute on medium heat. Add mushrooms and balsamic vinegar, cook for 3 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat.

Mix cayenne pepper and basil into mashed avocado.

Spread 1/2 avocado mixture on each tortilla. Add spinach, onion, tomatos, and artichoke hearts in layers on each tortilla. Place 1/2 mushroom/galrlic mixture on top. Roll tortillas into wraps.

Serve with fresh veggies or pita chips and hummus.

Quick Spinach Quesadillas

Those of you who have been watching the news probably know that we had a "blizzard" here in Ohio this weekend. I'm not sure I'd use the word "blizzard" - to me, it was just an inconvenient amount of driveway shoveling. But I guess if the media wants to make a big deal about it, so be it.

Anyway, some friends got snowed in on Saturday. Carnivores. Hard core. Anyway, rather than venture out in the snow, I opted to make these quick spinach quesadillas for everyone. I think some of the people were more than a little put off by the sight of something green and leafy, but hey... when you're in a vegetarian's home, you will eventually encounter food that isn't fried, loaded with fat, or meat-laden.

Anyway, I liked these things because they were quick to put together (about 15 minutes, give or take), and made from ingredients I already had on hand. So if you're running short on time, give these easy spinach quesadillas a try.

10 burrito sized flour tortillas
1 8 oz package shredded Veggie Shreds "cheese"
1 jar picante sauce or salsa
fresh baby spinach
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
low fat sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place one tortilla on cutting board, sprinkle thin layer of cheese on top. Add onions, baby spinach, muchrooms, and picante sauce. Sprinkle on another layer of cheese, and place another tortilla on top. Repeat with remainder of tortillas.

Place on baking sheet or directly on oven rack, bake for 6-7 minutes. Place quesadillas on cutting board, cut into quarters.

Serve with sour cream if desired.

Arroz con Vegetales - Mexican Rice with Vegetables

I'm leaving for Las Vegas in a couple of days... as much as I love Vegas, being a vegetarian there is a bit of a challenge. People come to Vegas for (among other things) the plethora of fine steakhouses, so there's really not much left for the vegetarians. Alas.

Anyway, I decided to make one of my favorite Mexican dishes while I'm packing, since I figure it will be a while before I get a really satisfying meal.

This recipe is a little tough to squeeze in under the half hour mark, but it's well worth the effort. You can cut some time by using a packaged Mexican seasoning mix, but to be honest, it's just not quite the same.

Arroz con Vegetales - Mexican Rice with Vegetables

Serves 4

1 cup uncooked white rice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 zucchini squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 poblano pepper, cut into 1/2 inch x 1 inch pieces
1 can yellow corn
4 cups cut broccoli florets
1 onion, chopped
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 oz Veggie Shreds cheddar "cheese"
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
8 flour tortillas, fajita size
1/2 cup water

Cook rice in a rice cooker according to directions (my rice cooker instructions say to add 1 cup of water to the rice, 1 1/2 cups water to reservoir, and cook for 24 minutes).

While rice is cooking:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove tortillas from package, wrap completely with foil. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and garlic, saute for one minute.

Add red bell pepper, zucchini squash, yellow squash, poblano pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.

Add remainder of vegetables. Saute for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Add cumin, water, Tabasco, and cayenne pepper. Turn down heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

While vegetables simmer, place tortillas in the oven for 3 minutes.

Mix cilantro into cooked rice.

Place 1/4 of cooked rice on each serving plate, cover with 1/4 of shredded cheese. Spoon vegetables over rice and cheese.

Serve with warm tortillas and chips and guacamole or salsa. Upon serving, spoon vegetable, rice, and cheese mixture into tortillas.

Quick Vegan Crock Pot Chili

So here we are, mid-February in Ohio. The snow is flying, the roads are a mess, and no one seems to know how to drive. Bleh. So I'm staying off the freeway today, and starting a batch of vegan crock pot chili instead.

Provided you have a good can opener, you can put this chili together in 10 minutes or less. Start it about noon in your crockpot, and you'll have dinner waiting when everyone gets home.

1 64-oz jug tomato juice
2 cans chili hot beans
1 can black beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can golden corn
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, diced
1 habanero pepper, finely diced (optional, and wear kitchen gloves if you do this)
1 packet chili seasoning (hot or mild, depending on personal tastes)

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and stir. Turn crock pot on high, let cook for 5 to 6 hours.

This chili is excellent with warm sourdough bread or crusty french bread. I use the par-baked sourdough loaves from Kroger - the kind that you just throw in the oven for about 8 minutes, but your house smells like you've been busting your ass in front of a bread maker all day.

Now, back to watching the snow beat down on Westerville while the local newscasters spazz out on the mid-morning news.

Urad Dal

Dal is one of the staples of Indian cuisine, and comes in many forms. The term "dal" refers to a paste-like dish made from various types of beans. Dal is also sometimes used to refer to the beans themselves, although "gram" is the appropriate term for beans when used in Indian cuisine.

Urad gram is black lentil beans, which are also sometimes sold as "white lentils" when the black husks have been removed. Urad dal is made from the white lentil variety - these can occasionally be found in American supermarkets, but are more commonly found at Indian specialty grocers.

Here is an easy recipe for urad dal. Most of the spices used in this dish are readily available in supermarkets, except for garam masala, which can be ordered online or purchased from an Indian grocer.

1cup basmati rice
1 cup dried white lentils
1 tsp grated ginger
1 medium white onion, finely diced
2 fresh jalapeno or green chili peppers, finely chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground hot red chilis (I have used ground cayenne pepper, with good success)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice

Cook basmati rice in a rice cooker or large saucepan according to directions.

Rinse the white lentils and soak in water for 15 minutes. Boil in 5 cups of water until lentils are soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Add oil to a large pan and heat for a few minutes. Add ground cloves and coriander seeds, heat for 30 seconds or until coriander seeds begin to pop. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapenos, heat for another 30 seconds. add ground red chili, turmeric, cloves and stir for 15 seconds.

Add cooked white lentils, lemon juice, and garam masala, heat for 2-3 minutes while stirring frequently.

Serve with basmati rice.

Fried Rice with Bean Curd

When it comes to cheap and easy vegetarian recipes, you can't do much better than fried rice. It's quick, simple, and versatile - you can add just about anything you want to a batch of fried rice, and it will be quite tasty.

Here's a tip for making fried rice - whenever you are making a rice based dish, cook an extra 1 1/2 cups of rice - this will make an extra 3 cups when cooked. Put the extra cooked rice in a plastic food storage bag and throw it in the freezer. That way, you'll always have a base for a fried rice meal - this can be wonderful for those nights when you just don't have much time to cook.

Here's just one of the endless variations of fried rice that you can throw together in under 15 minutes:

3 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp hot chili sauce
8 oz tofu (bean curd), cut into 1/4" x 1/2 inch pieces

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add cooked rice, stir fry for 2 minutes. Add tofu and soy sauce, stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add remainder of ingredients, stir fry for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve with spring rolls or vegan hot and sour soup.

Vegetables with Korean Style Noodles (Chap Chae)

I have a Korean acquaintance who was recently telling me that he wanted to eat more vegetarian meals, but that traditional Korean cuisine was tough to make vegetarian.

"Nonsense", I said. "Any cuisine can be made vegetarian." Yerp. If you can make German vegetarian dishes (and I've done it), you can do anything, right?

Ok, ok... I found out it's a little tough. Korean vegetarian cuisine is indeed a bit sparce. But I love a good challenge, and I'll be posting Korean vegetarian recipes over the coming weeks, as I find good Korean dishes that work well with meat substitutes (or just without meat, period).

Here's my first offering in the Korean vegetarian recipes category - Vegetables with Korean Style Noodles:

6 oz bean thread noodles (also called glass noodles or mung bean noo)
1/4 cup rice wine
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp hot Korean style chili paste
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 large onion, sliced
2 large carrots, cut into 2 inch strips
8 oz shiitake or white mushrooms, sliced

Soak noodles in warm water for 10 minutes to soften, then cook in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water.

Combine sesame soy sauce or tamari, rice wine, garlic, sugar, and chili paste.

Cook onion, carrots, mushrooms, and spinach in a medium pan with sesame oil until tender. Pour soy sauce mixture over vegetables, lower temperature and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve vegetables over bean thread noodles.

Notes:

I've found a few recipes for chap chae that call for 1/2 cup or more of tamari or soy sauce. I cut the soy sauce in half and used rice wine to make up the liquid - this takes out quite a bit of sodium. If you wanted to cut out even more sodium, you could use 1/2 cup of rice wine while cooking, and then sprinkle tamari over the vegetables just before serving.

I'm often guilty of placing healthy and quick cooking over authenticity - I try to come up with recipes that are as authentic as possible, while making them healthier and easier to make than the original recipes. That said, I'm told that the authentic Korean version of this recipe would call for dang myun, which is a noodle made with sweet potato starch.

Look, I'm just some hippie from Ohio. Maybe you can find dang myun in your neck of the woods, but I certainly can't come up with it here.