Butternut Squash Curry

I adapted this recipe from Naturally Gourmet, by Karen Houghton.  It's not that there was anything wrong with the original recipe, it's just that I didn't have everything that was on the author's ingredients list.  And then, once I started down my own path, well...

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 Tbs crushed garlic
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2-4 Tbs yellow curry powder (to taste)
• 1/2 package onion soup mix
• 1tsp imitation chicken seasoning (McKay's, Bill's Best, etc.)
• 1 large potato
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste) 
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 package extra firm tofu, cubed

The original recipe calls for peeling the squash and cutting it into cubes while it's raw.  Puh-LEEZ!  That's too difficult.  Do this instead:  Put the whole squash in a 350 degree oven for an hour or two. (Poke/slice a few holes in it first, to vent the steam, and place it on a baking pan, in case it drips.)   Let it cool completely, like, maybe in the refrigerator overnight.  Then you can easily peel and de-seed the squash in a jiffy.  The skin should have separated from the flesh already, so it should just come right off, so this method of cooking gives you the most yield from the squash too.  

Then add the chopped butternut squash, plus all the other ingredients, minus the tofu, cilantro and coconut milk, in a stock pot, simmer for about 30 minutes.  Then add the rest and heat through.  

Serve over rice.  I like brown jasmine [boiled with a spoonful of coconut oil added to the water to make it slightly sweet] for this dish.

Enjoy!

Grilled Pizza

This recipe should probably have been posted during the summer months, but here in the Desert Southwest, the temperatures are finally dropping to a tolerable level.  We can pretty much grill all winter long!

Last Saturday, I was sitting with my youngest while he was working a superhero puzzle (48 pieces).  I don't know exactly why I was thumbing through Steven Raichlen's BBQ USA, being pretty much, exclusively vegan nowadays, (Remember, I still will eat a good, organic, grass fed, certified humane steak once in a while).  We don't get much chance to do much serious grilling or BBQ-ing anymore.  I stumbled across the recipes for grilled pizza on pages 150-159.  

I first tried these on the gas grille, but ran out of propane just as I was placing the first crust down on the grille.  I switched to the ol' Weber grille, but I was impatient, and the first pie tasted of residual lighter fluid.  The second pie tasted fantastic, having been cooked on more mature coals.  So, let that be a lesson to you:  Let your fire mature before you start grilling these pizzas.  Be patient.  Plan ahead.

I'll be trying these on a wood fueled camp fire this weekend while camping.  I'll let you know how it goes.


First, the dough:  

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups white all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, maybe more
•  

1) place the water, yeast and molasses in the bowl of a stand mixer, stir to mix.  Let stand until slightly foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

2)Add the salt and 2 tablespoons of oil and mix with a dough hook until combined, about 2 minutes.  Add the flours and mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the side of the bowl without sticking.  The dough should be soft and moist but not sticky.  If it's too wet, add a little more flour.  If it's too dry, add a little water.  Every type and brand of flour is different!


3)  Use the remaining tablespoon of oil to coat the inside of a large bowl.  Gather the dough into a ball and place it in the oiled bowl, turning to coat it on all sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a quiet place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight.


4)  Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured board.  Knead the dough a few times by hand, until it has returned down to original size.


5)  Divide the dough into 6 even pieces, about 3 inches in diameter.  Place the balls on an oiled baking sheet, brush with a bit of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 to 40 minutes, until they puff up again.


Now, Let's make some pizzas!  

You can use anything you want on your pizza, these are just two suggestions.  Keep in mind, with this grilling method, it cooks really fast, so don't count on your topping to actually cook, they will simply warm through.  So, adjust accordingly.

Recipe #1:  Grilled Pizza Margherita

• Roma tomatoes, chopped
• Fresh basil, chopped
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes 

Roll or stretch or spin out a dough ball to make a really thin crust.  Brush olive oil on one side and place it on the grille for about 2 minutes.  You'll see the center start to bubble up, and the edges crisp up.  Brush the top side with olive oil and flip over.  Immediately place the cheese first, then all the other ingredients on the pizza and put the cover down.  Let cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted.  Check to make sure the crust isn't burning,and rotate it if you need to.  You're cooking directly on a fire, so the heat may not be exactly even.

Recipe #2:  Grilled Garlic and Rosemary Pizza

• Olive oil
• 6 clove fresh garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 3 cups grated vegan mozzarella cheese (OK, use the real deal if you want)  
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes

Place 3 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan and saute the garlic and rosemary until the garlic is just barely browned, about 3 minutes.  

Cook the dough as described above and use this mixture on top of the pizza AFTER you add the cheese.  The book says to add the cheese first to aid in it's quick melting.  It also helps the other ingredients stick to the pie too.

Vegan "Chicken" Stew and Pot-Pie Filling

Just threw this together off the top of my head last night.  Wow!  Everybody chowed!

• 3-4 potatoes, cubed into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup corn, it can be fresh, canned, or frozen
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• various herbs such as rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup MimicCreme Almond and Cashew Cream   
• a splash of cooking sherry (Optional, but oh so yummy!)
• 4-6 cups of chopped fried gluten steak.  (LINK to Recipe) 

First, boil the potatoes until done, drain.  Put them back into the pot, then add all the other ingredients, minus the chopped gluten steak.  Simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add the chopped gluten steak at the end and heat through and then serve.

This also works quite well in a pie filling, as chicken pot-pie.

Mimic Cream

A common challenge with the plant based diet is finding substitutes for cream.  With this stuff you can again make cream based sauces and gravies, thicken soups and stews, make cream based pies, etc. 

 MimicCreme Almond and Cashew Cream is USDA organic, soy free, dairy free, with no trans fats, no saturated fats.  Granted, it does have fat, so people on a very strict plant based diet, such as those with sever heart disease, should probably use this sparingly, if at all. 

Walnut Cream Sauce

My wife found this recipe in  Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health .  The original recipe calls for putting this over steamed Kale.  I am not at all a fan of cooked greens.  But I believe this sauce would be great with various other vegetables, such as carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, etc.

1/2 cup walniuts.  shelled, of course.

2-3 cloves garlic.

1-2 tablespoons of Tamari.  (a different kind of soy sauce, it's gluten free!)

1/2 cup water.

Throw it all in a food processor, and run it until it's smooth.  Use more or less water to get the consistency the way you like.

Yum!  I actually ate kale last night with the help of this stuff!

Vegan Egg Replacer!

Want to cut the eggs (and their cholesterol) out of your baking recipes?  Use flax seed meal instead.  1 TBS of flax seed meal mixed with 3 TBS water equals one egg.  It works great!  Even your staunchest carnivores won't be able to tell the difference.

Vegan Ranch Dressing

Tastes like the real thing!  So easy, and healthy for you too!   

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
    1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
    1 teaspoon onion powder
    1 teaspoon garlic powder
    2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    1 tablespoon dried or fresh parsley, finely chopped
    salt and pepper, to taste

Mix it all up in a blender, food processor or just put all ingredients in a jar or bottle and shake.

Magnificent Zucchini

I found this recipe in The Ultimate Vegetarian Cookbook, by Roz Denny.

I was surprised this week when my wife, along with our oldest daughter, came in bearing unexpected fruits from what I thought was our dormant garden.  Living in the Mojave desert, the summertime sun is just B-R-U-T-A-L.  We stopped getting any yields from our garden a month or so ago.  But rather than tear it all up, I decided to leave the plants in there, and to continue to water them, partly just to see what would happen, and partly due to sheer laziness.  It's too stinking hot out there to do any real work!

Anyway, in comes this zucchini squash the size of my forearm.  (I'm 6ft tall and weigh 200 lbs., down from 216 at the beginning of this year, BTW)  I had no idea the plants would produce in such heat, but there you have it!  The only thing I ever really knew to do with zucchini was to saute it or shred it into a quick bread.  This recipe looked very inviting.  And, WOW was it yummy!

3 cups cooked pasta shells or elbows
a 3-4 lb zucchini
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used a red one)
1 TBS fresh, grated ginger root (I have no idea how to grate it, so I minced it)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ( I used 4 and minced them)
3 TBS sunflower oil (I didn't have any, I used olive oil)
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup pine nuts
cheese, grated to serve (We're on a plant based diet, so I used nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  These can be discarded.  Use a small sharp knife and spoon to scoop out the zucchini flesh.  Chop the flesh roughly.
3. Fry the onion, pepper, garlic and ginger in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the zucchini flesh, tomatoes and seasoning.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add to the pan the pasta, pine nuts and basil.  stir well and set aside.  (I used too small a pan, had to put it all in a giant mixing bowl.)
5. Meanwhile, place the zucchini halves in a roasting pan.  Add a small amount of water in order to create steam.  Drizzle with oil, add salt and a little bit of pepper.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.  I would suggest doing this at step 3, when everything else starts to cook. If timed correctly, the zucchini should come out of the oven right when you're done mixing all the other ingredients together.  Hey, it's a busy house.  If we can shorten the prep time for any of these dishes, it's a good thing.
6. When the zucchini is finished roasting, remove from oven, discard the water, and fill the shells with the vegetable/pasta mixture.  Re-cover with the foil and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes.
7. If you wish, you can serve this dish topped with grated cheese.  As mentioned above, we enjoy a plant-based diet.  As a substitute, I mixed into the vegetable mixture 2 TBS of nutritional yeast instead.  

Black Bean Burgers

Got this from Vibrant Life Magazine, who got it from The New York Times. 

The original recipe calls for 1 can of black beans.  My wife and I have discovered that making them yourself from SCRATCH is easy, and saves you loads of money.  Just get them in the bulk section at your local grocery store.  Put a couple cups of dry beans in a crock pot, add water, salt, and whatever other seasonings you want, turn it on, and walk away.  Check back every hour or so to stir or add water, if needed.  In a few hours you have beans.  How cool, healthy, and cheap, is that???

\
2 cups black beans.  cooked, drained.
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, seasoned any way you want, or not.
If you want, add a small can of green chilis, or a jalepeno or two.
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed OR 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
2 green onions, chopped, greens and all
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup parsley OR cilantro
2 cups quick rolled oats (Quaker oats will do just fine)
8 whole grain buns
toppings of your choice

process the first 8 ingredients in a food processor.  Remove contents into a large bowl.  Stir in the oats.  Form into patties.

You can either bake at 450 degrees (f) for 8 minutes, then flip the patties and broil for another 2 minutes.

OR you can just saute' them on a skillet or in a pan, 5 minutes a side, until browned.

Place the patties on your toasted buns, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

WARNING:  If your family is anything like mine, you might want to make a double batch!

Easy VEGAN French Toast Recipes

Vegan French Toast

This easy vegan French toast recipe uses bananas instead of eggs, giving it a sweet flavor. Use a thickly sliced whole grain bread.  Using soft, store bought, white bread will result in the French toast being too soggy inside.

Ingredients:

    * 2-3 ripe bananas
    * 3/4 cup soy milk
    * 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    * 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla
    * bread
    * vegan margarine

Preparation:
Blend bananas, soy milk, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla in blender or food processor and pour mixture into pie plate or wide dish. Gently dip bread slices into the mix, coating both sides. Fry in vegan margarine in medium-hot skillet until golden brown. Serve with toppings of your choice.


Coconut Banana Vegan French Toast

A simple homemade french toast recipe, completely egg-free and suitable for vegans. This tropical-flavored French toast is made with coconut milk and bananas instead of eggs, so it's lower in fat and also cholesterol-free.

Ingredients:

    * 2 bananas
    * 1 cup coconut milk
    * 3/4 cups soy milk
    * 1/2 tsp sugar
    * 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
    * bread
    * oil or margarine for frying

Preparation:
Mash the bananas well and whisk together with the coconut milk, soy milk, sugar and cinnamon. Pour into a shallow pan or pie tin.

Dip both sides of the bread into the mixture, and cook in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat, cook until one side is golden brown.  Flip and cook that side til golden brown.  Serve immediately (In my house they get gobbled up as fast as I can make them!)  with toppings of your choice. 

Shrimp Tacos

OK, so I slip once in a while with the whole vegan and vegetarian thing.  Sue me.  The kids substituted beans instead of shrimp, so I guess you could do that.  But why, when you have the yummy shrimp?  (I know, I know...)

I found a recipe for shrimp tacos that was just heavenly.  I'll not bore you with the details on how to heat up corn tortillas, so let's just skip to the spice and sauce step, shall we?

First, thaw out 20-40 medium shrimp, shelled, de-veined and de-tailed.  Put them in a gallon sized ziplock bag along with:

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 TBS olive oil

Mix all that up, seal the bag and let it marinate while you heat up the grill/barbecue.

Cook the shrimp on the grill, I won't bore you with how to do that.

Meantime, whip up this sour cream, lime, cilantro sauce

1/4 cup of sour cream (I used soy based, vegan)

2 TBS chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp cumin

juice and some zest from 1 lime

salt to taste

Put the shrimp in the corn tortillas, add shredded cabbage (it works better than lettuce, it doesn't wilt) chopped tomatoes and drizzle on (pour it on, baby!) the sauce.

Yum!

Lentil Salad

An amazingly easy, delicious way to get all your protein in a low calorie, yummy salad.  Just cook up 1/2 cup each lentils and rice (cooked to instructions and fully cooled) to your favorite salad recipe.  Add some crispies like croutons, roasted pita bread chips, tortilla chips... Whatever the would go with the salad.  SIMPLE!

Vegan Mac and Cheese

3/4 lbs macaroni, cooked to package instructions

    "Cheese" Sauce:
    3/4 cups unsweetened nondairy milk (soy!)
    1/3 cups nutritional yeast
    1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
    1/2 cup water
     2 tsp soy sauce
    1/2 block (8 oz.)  tofu
    1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
    1/2 tablespoon paprika
    1/2 tablespoon salt
    1 dollop mustard, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Add all of the "cheese" sauce ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Once pasta is cooked, drain and put it in the baking pan (about the size of a brownie pan). Pour the "cheese" sauce over the pasta.

3. Bake until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy, about 15 minutes.