The Vegan Version

Potato Mushroom Napoleons

2012-02-15T08:31:00.000-05:00

Other than a failed cupcake attempt, Saturday was a perfect day of cooking. I was up before five, tested my hand at some polenta which eventually turned into polenta fries and pizza. I made a Cauliflower, Potato and Cabbage Fritter with leftover pierogi filling, chocolate covered frozen kiwis and bananas and a Potato Mushroom Napoleon.

Since I was going to be away for Valentines Day (not a big deal- you can get my take on Valentine's Day here) I tried to make a sort of "fancy" dinner. Calling something a "Napoleon" automatically classifies it as fancy, right?

This was simple to make, full of flavor, and if you ask me, has some of that presentation "wow factor" you get in a fancy restaurant.

Fancy or not, most importantly these are really tasty!

Potato Mushroom Napoleons

3 russet potatoes, peeled

2.5 oz thinly sliced shitake mushrooms (stems removed)

5 oz thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms (stems removed)

1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (white and light green part only)

2 frozen artichoke hearts (thawed and sliced)

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 cup vegetable stock

2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)

1 tbsp vegan Butter (I used Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)

¼ cup dry red wine

1 tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking oil spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim the potatoes on each side until they are a basic rectangle shape. Using a very sharp knife or mandolin slice the potatoes lengthwise. Place the potato slices on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray with cooking oil spray and then season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for about 12 minutes, until the potatoes become translucent and start to soften but are not browned.

While the potatoes are cooking place a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil, mushrooms, leek and artichoke hearts. Sauté a few minutes until the mushrooms start to release their liquid. Add the garlic powder and season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetable stock and allow to cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Add the red wine, non dairy milk, parsley, and oregano. Stir to incorporate and then add the butter and flour, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.

Assemble the Napoleons by placing a potato on a plate, topping it with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture, another potato and more mixture. Repeat until you have used three potato slices. Top the last slice with some more of the mushroom mixture.

Serve immediately.

Valentine's Day and Some Sweet Cupcakes

2012-02-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

I have got to admit I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. Other than when I was a kid, and Valentine's Day meant boxes of candy, I never really have been. It just seems so silly- a manufactured holiday grounded in nothing other than the candy and greeting card industry's desire to generate revenue.

I know, I know, that sounds so cynical! In all seriousness, why do we need a single day to tell those in our lives that we love them and they are special to us? Shouldn't we do that every day? Does that require candy, greeting cards and roses? Nah...

Anyway, I have been thinking a lot lately about those that are really special in my life. Of course there are my husband, kids, friends and family. That is a given. But there is also you- the members of the awesome vegan community that I have found myself immersed in! I am talking about all of the caring, compassionate individuals who really want to make a difference in the world. Some of you, like JL, Fran, Leah, Christina, Sharon, Susan and Robin I have met in person. And others like Gail and Brian, to name a couple, that I really hope to meet soon!

So with all of you in mind I baked these Valentine's Day cupcakes. I hope you enjoy them!

Oh, and, yes, of course I bought my kids candy for Valentine's Day :)

Sweet Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe ClassicYellow Cake Mix
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 2/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the frosting (adapted from this recipe):
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/ 4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (1/2 stick), softened
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the Duncan Hines cake mix, applesauce, water and vegetable oil in the bowl of a stand mixer. If you do not have a stand mixer you can use a large bowl and a hand mixer. Beat slowly for about 30 seconds and then increase the speed to medium and beat for two minutes.

Place cupcake liners into a muffin tin and fill each until about 3/4 full. This should make 24 cupcakes.

Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly and remove cupcakes from pan.

To make the frosting add the confectioners sugar and Earth Balance to a clean stand mixer bowl. If you do not have a stand mixer, this may be done with a hand mixer. Slowly beat until the sugar and butter are combined, it will be a crumbly mixture. Add the 1/4 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Slowly add the cocoa powder and beat until very smooth.

Either spread or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Phyllo Wrapped Beefless Burgers and a Giveaway

2012-02-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

I recently posted a made over childhood favorite Crunchy Chick'n recipe and it seems the nice folks at Gardein took a shine to it as they featured it as a Meatless Monday meal suggestion and kindly sent me some coupons for free Gardein! I thought it would be great to give those freebies to some of my readers. sok eep reading to find out how to be entered to win some free Gardein!

This recipe was dinner a few nights ago- a bit of a different way to prepare a burger. If you are a regular reader of The Vegan Version you probably know how I feel about phyllo dough -- everything tastes better wrapped in it! These burgers are no exception.

Now, about that free Gardein! You can enter to win by simply do any or all of the following:

Leave a comment on this post (with an email address by which I can contact you)
Like Vegan Version on Facebook (please let me know you did so)
Tweet "@VeganVersion I would like some free @Gardein http://www.theveganversion.com/2012/02/phyllo-wrapped-beefless-burgers-and.html" (please let me know you did so)

Do all of these things and be entered three times! I will announce a winner on Monday February 21st, 2012. Good luck and stay tuned for some upcoming additional Gardein giveaways soon.

Phyllo Wrapped Beefless Burgers

2 Gardein Beefless Burgers ( still frozen)
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds)
2 tbsp chopped scallions (green part only)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and non dairy milk.

Cut the stack of six phyllo sheets in half and trim each half into square large enough to fully wrap the entire burger. Place 1/8 cup of the vegan cheese in the center of one stack of phyllo squares and add 1/2 tbsp scallion on top of the cheese. Place one frozen burger on top of the cheese and scallion. Top with another 1/8 cup of the vegan cheese and 1/2 tbsp of scallion.

Starting with one corner of the phyllo fold a sheet or two over the burger and work your way around pulling each corner in using one or two phyllo sheets. After you complete the fourth corner lightly brush the top with the olive oil and non dairy milk mixture. Repeat the process until all sheets are wrapped around the burger. Flip over onto a lightly greased baking sheet and brush the top with some more of the olive oil and non dairy milk mixture. Repeat for the second burger.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the phyllo is nicely browned.

Serve.

Cook Once Eat Twice (or More)

2012-02-12T17:25:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I shared with you the Potato, Cauliflower and Cabbage Pierogis I made. Not only was that our dinner, I froze a bunch of them for another day, and put a couple in my daughters lunch for tomorrow. You may recall I miscalculated on the amount of filling needed based on the amount of dough I made.

Well, today I took all of the leftover filling, threw in some breadcrumbs and created Potato, Cabbage and Cauliflower fritters. They were terrific! I left a couple in the fridge and froze a couple for another day.

I would love to know your secret for making a single dish extend to multiple meals! Please share!

Potato, Cauliflower and Cabbage Fritters

Potato, Cauliflower and Cabbage Pierogi filling ( recipe here)

Breadcrumbs (enough to bind the mixture)

Olive oli for pan frying

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Form mixture and breadcrumbs into patties and pan fry a few minutes on each side until golden brown. That's it!

Note: Mr. Meat and Potatoes ate his with some Tabasco sauce. I have to say it was a good idea! Yum.

Potato Cauliflower and Cabbage Pierogi

2012-02-11T17:17:00.003-05:00

Hannah over at Bitter Sweet got me thinking about pierogis. Hers looked fabulous and she gave me the inspiration to try my hand at making my own. I don't think I have had them since going vegan and I did used to like them quite a bit.

I did not cook from a recipe for these, they just sort of came together as I went along. After I made the filling I started to worry that tit would be gone before I even got to make the pierogis. Luckily, I miscalculated the dough to filling ratio so I had a bunch of filling leftover for us to enjoy on its own. I have adjusted the recipe to account for my miscalculation but if you want extra filling just double the recipe!

As an added bonus, I discovered another great vegan product from the folks at So Delicious. If yo have not tried the Cultured Coconut Yogurt I would absolutely recommend it. Tasty on its own and great in this recipe. The wheels are already turning on other uses for it.

Potato Cauliflower and Cabbage Pierogi

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
6 oz So Delicous Plain Greek Style Yogurt
1 cup So Delicious Original Culutured Coconut Milk
1 tbsp olive oil

For the filling
2 medium size russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 head cauliflower, cored and cut into large chunks
1 leek, white and light green part, cleaned and sliced thin
1/2 cup red cabbage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened)
1 tablespoons vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegan sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the dough by adding the flour, nutritional yeast, parsley, thyme and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can do this by hand. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and then add the Greek style yogurt, cultured coconut milk and olive oil. Mix on a low speed until a dough starts to form. Using either the dough hook of your mixer or your hands knead the mixture for about five minutes. Remove from the bowl, form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the potato and cauliflower. Boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.

While potatoes are boiling heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a saute pan. Add the garlic, leeks and red cabbage. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

When potatoes and cauliflower are fork tender remove them from the boiling water and drain in a colander. Transfer to a large bowl, add the non dairy milk and vegan butter, salt and pepper. Mash until relatively smooth. Add the leek and cabbage mixture and stir.

When the mixture has cooled, and the dough has refrigerated for an hour remove the dough and turn it out onto a lighly floured surface. Roll the dough to about 1/4-1/8" thickness. Using a biscuit cutter or round cutter cut dough into circles. Place a teaspoonful of the potato and cauliflower mixture in the center of each round and fold in half taking care to seal the edges so that the filling is contained inside. Crimp the edges with a fork.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Whisk the remaining olive oil and non dairy milk in a small bowl and brush on top of each pierogi.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the tops are starting to brown, the dough is cooked through and the filling warmed.

Servie with vegan sour cream if desired.

Note: if you want to prepare these more traditionally you could boil them for a few minutes and then transfer them to a pan of olive oil and quickly pan fry.

Veggie Chili Stuffed Poblano Peppers

2012-02-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

Work has been incredibly busy. Between marathon meetings and business travel I have not had the time to cook as much as I would like. As a result I have had to resort "shopping" in my own freezer. Thankfully, when I do cook I tend to make enough for an army so I found some goodies in there I had forgotten all about.

While looking through the freezer yesterday I found a Vegetable Barley Soup that made a lovely lunch today. I found a nice Butternut Squash Soup that will make a nice lunch another day this week and I also found a huge vat of Veggie Chili which I defrosted for dinner tonight. The chili, along with some poblano peppers I had purchased over the weekend made for a quick, easy and flavorful dinner. And, I have enough chili leftover for lunch another day this week (score!).

Veggie Chili Stuffed Poblano Peppers

3 poblano peppers

1 cup Veggie Chili (recipe here)

1/4-1/2 cup vegan cheese (I used Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds)

~8 crackers (I used Ritz Garlic Butter)

1/2 tbsp Vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and put the whole poblano peppers on the sheet. Place in the oven and allow to roast about 15 minutes or until just starting to soften.

Remove the peppers from the oven and set aise.

In a food processor blend the crackers and Earth balance. (Alternatively you can crush the crackers, melt the Earth Balance and mix the two.

Once the peppers are cool enough to touch, cut in half long ways and remove the seeds and veins. Place cut side up on the baking sheet. Place a layer of the vegan cheese in the bottom of each, add a layer of veggie chili and then top with the cracker crumb mixture. Return to the oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until the topping is nicely browned.

Nutter Butter Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2012-02-06T14:51:00.002-05:00

I recently saw a recipe for Nutter Butter Cupcakes. Upon seeing the recipe I immediately Googled "are Nutter Butters vegan". Guess what? They are! I used to love Nutter Butters as a kid and I can honestly say that before yesterday I had not had one in many years! They are as good as I remember them!

I decided to try a vegan version of the original recipe. I used a boxed cake mix like the recipe suggested substituting apple sauce for the eggs. They turned out great! Do be sure to check the ingredients on the cake mix you use- not all are vegan.

I iced twelve of them and froze the other twelve for another day, so if you are going to ice all 24 of yours you may want to double the icing you make (or not frost them as much as I frosted mine).

Nutter Butter Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

For the cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake)

Applesauce (1/4 cup for each egg you are replacing)

6 Nutter Butter cookies chopped

12 Nutter Butter cookies cut in half

2 tbsp chopped vegan chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli Semi Sweet)

For the icing:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

8 tbsp vegan butter, softened (I used Earth Balance)
1 cup confectioners sugar

4 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven according to cake directions.

Prepare the cake batter as directed substituting 1/4 cup of applesauce for each egg you are replacing. Mix in the chopped Nutter Butter cookies.

Place cupcake liners into a muffin or cupcake pan. Place 1/2 of a Nutter Butter on the bottom of each. Fill with the cupcake batter until about 3/4 full. Bake according to cake package directions or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

As the cupcakes are baking prepare the icing by creaming the peanut butter and butter together. I did this in a KitchenAid stand mixer. If you do not have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the non dairy milk and vanilla and continue to mix until incorporated.

Pipe or spread the icing on the cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped chocolate.

Crispy Potato Roast

2012-02-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

I know it is Superbowl Sunday and perhaps this isn't the most typical Superbowl food but I suppose I will get to cooking some more traditional Superbowl stuff later today. Or not. We shall see.

I have seen a lot of recipes for Potato Roasts that look similar to this one floating out there on the Internet. They all look good but all seemed (to me anyway) to be somewhat lacking from a flavor perspective. This one in particular caught my eye.

Most called for just potatoes and little to no seasoning so I thought I would make this one my own and add an additional layer of flavor by adding some roasted garlic. I like the way it came out.

The great thing about this is you can serve it at a fancy pants dinner or just have it for breakfast like we did!

Crispy Potato Roast

6 similarly sized Russet potatoes sliced very thin (I used a mandolin)
1 bulb roasted garlic
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 large shallots sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
1/2 tsp or more cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If you have not already roasted your garlic start by slicing the top off of a garlic bulb to reveal the top of the garlic cloves inside. Place on foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt and put into the oven for about 30 minutes or until the garlic is nicely browned and easily squeezed out of the bulb. It will be very soft.

Melt the Earth Balance into the olive oil over medium heat on the stove (or in the microwave). Brush the bottom of a baking dish with some of butter and olive oil mixture.

Assemble the sliced potatoes into the dish vertically until you have covered the perimeter. Any empty space in the middle can be filled in with some more potatoes.

Place the slices of shallots and roasted garlic (removed from the bulb once cool enough to handle) randomly between the potato slices. The roasted garlic should be quite spreadable so you may want to spread some across the tops of the potatoes, too. Add the thyme. salt, pepper and cayenne (if desired) being sure to get the spices down into the potato layers. Brush the top with the butter/olive oil mixture and then gently pour the rest over the potatoes.

Bake at 375 for an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half, until the potatoes are browned and crispy on the edges.

Depression Era Chocolate Cake

2012-01-29T06:49:00.000-05:00

A friend recently sent me a recipe for a depression era chocolate cake, a dessert created during a time when many people watched their wealth disappear and had to learn to make do on a very meager budget.

Interestingly, she sent this recipe at the same time our family decided we needed to define and stick to a budget. Bear with me here, I feel I need to rant a little bit but I will eventually get to the the chocolate cake. recipe, I swear!

I have never really had a set budget before, especially when it comes to grocery shopping. I typically go to the store without a list, put whatever looks good in the cart and come home with not only the basics but also all sorts of other wholesome goodies. I always buy organic and look for natural, non GMO, certified fair trade and vegan foods.

Shopping on a budget has been a real eye opener. Now that I am looking more closely at price tages I realize that the system that supplies our food is egregiously flawed. The fact that it is cheaper to buy processed, calorie dense, nutritionally deficient food the likes of fat and sodium laden frozen meals, chips and cookies manufactured using all sorts of nasty, unpronounceable chemicals instead fresh, organic wholesome food, including fruits and vegetables is, well...backwards. No wonder our nation is nutritionally challenged and obese.

Our system desperately needs to be revised to reward farmers for producing nourishing food instead of crops intended primarily for livestock feed and the manufacture of ingredients that produce empty calorie food additives (i.e. high fructose corn syrup).

Thankfully I am in a position to be able to adjust a budget to include fresh, organic and wholesome food. However, much of the U.S population is not and the fact that their ability to regularly eat healthfully is hindered is just plain wrong. I mean, of course people who are struggling to make ends meet will choose less expensive things they can afford. I can remember as a kid my Mother would stock up on fresh produce because she did shop on a budget, was concerned about healthy eating, and that is what was cheap. My, how times have changed.

So, that brings me around to the depression era cake recipe which was, no doubt, created out of a need to eat frugally. While not necessarily healthy it does fit into the budget and is certainly better than the prepackaged, high fructose corn syrup, fat and cholesterol laden desserts that are found in your grocers freezer. And it is out of this world delicious. Probably the best vegan chocolate cake I have had!

The chocolate ganache icing was not part of the original recipe, that is my own. I decided it would be a nice addition but you can finish your cake any way you desire.

Depression Era Chocolate Cake

For the cake:
3 cups flour (I used all purpose but whole wheat will work, too)
2 cups organic pure cane sugar (you could also use brown sugar)
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup oil (I used canola)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups water

For the ganache:
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli Semi Sweet)
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp strong brewed coffee (I used French Vanilla flavor)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a whisk until there are no lumps.

Pour batter into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.

While the cake is cooling, heat the ganache ingredients in a double boiler until very smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Ice the cake (while still in the pan) with the ganache by pouring onto the cake and spreading with a cake spatula.

Serve once cake and ganache have cooled completely.

Mushroom Wellington

2012-01-27T20:25:00.002-05:00

Let me start by telling you that I know this is not really a Wellington. I have had Wellington on the brain for a little while now. A Twitter pal recently made a Wellington and I guess that is what got me thinking about it. His was quite fancy and appeared to be a lot of work: home made puff pastry wrapped around home made seitan with "duxelle" and "prosciutto".

Mine is not nearly as fancy and came together easily, which worked out well since I had spent the day working and needed to get something together rather quickly. Plus, truth be told, I don't really like seitan. Perhaps I am the only vegan on earth that does not swoon over the stuff but it just isn't my thing. Don't get me wrong- I will eat it but I won't go out of my way for it.

I decided to keep my Wellington simple. It was wonderfully flavorful and a big hit with Mr. Meat and Potatoes! I think I will have the leftover for lunch tomorrow which is really saying something because I am not necessarily known for eating leftovers.

Mushroom Wellington

1 sheet puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm)
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 russet potato, sliced thin
8 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped
5 oz shitake mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 kale leaves, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp thyme, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On a baking sheet lined with foil lay the potato slices in a single layer and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until soft.

While the potatoes are roasting, in a saute pan over medium heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the mushrooms, garlic and kale. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and then add parsley and thyme. Cook a few minutes longer and remove from the heat.

Remove the potatoes form the oven. Place a puff pastry sheet on a lightly greased baking pan. Place a single layer of potatoes on the puff pastry sheet. Leave room around the edges so that the potatoes cover about 2/3 of the puff pastry sheet. Add the mushroom mixture over the potatoes and top with another layer of potatoes.

Fold the puff pastry over the mushrooms and potatoes and press to seal across the top. Be sure to also seal the outer edges of the short side of the puff pastry. You will end up with something that looks like a loaf of bread. Gently flip or roll the loaf over so that the seam is on the bottom.

In a shallow dish mix the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and non dairy milk with a whisk. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with this mixture and then sprinkle the onion powder and sesame seeds on the top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown.

Allow to cool for about ten minutes before slicing and serving.

Curried Carrot Coconut Soup and a Great Cafeteria

2012-01-24T06:25:00.001-05:00

I am not sure I ever told you about the cafeteria of the Center City Philadelphia building I work in. I can assure you it is like no other corporate cafeteria you have seen or eaten in. Situated on the 43rd floor of the tallest building in Philadelphia the views form the floor to ceiling windows are stunning. And the food is very good, too. Not your typical cafeteria food with lots of vegan options every day.

The Thai Carrot soup I had recently was good enough to motivate me to try to replicate it at home. Now, that is saying something! It had a lovely carrot flavor, a hint of spicy heat and a creaminess derived from the coconut that was really nice.

I set out to create a version of this soup at home. Mine actually turned out quite differently than the one I had in the cafeteria but it was no less delicious. It is quite spicy, so if you are not a big fan of spice you may want to adjust the recipe.

I feel very lucky to work at a place where I never have to worry about what is being served on days I do not bring a lunch or don't have time to leave the building- I am always covered! What about you? Do you have a work lunch spot that never fails you?

Photo courtesy of City Profile

Curried Carrot Coconut Soup

8 carrots peeled and cut into large chunks

1 can coconut milk

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small yellow onion, chopped

4 1/2" thick ginger slices, peeled and chopped

1 tsp tandoori paste

4 dried red chili peppers (to reduce the amount of heat use less)

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tbsp tamari sauce

1/2 cup non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)

Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add onions, garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cook a few minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the tandoori paste, stir and then add the carrots. Continue cooking about five minutes more and then add the can of coconut milk, vegetable stock, tamari sauce, dried chili peppers, curry powder, coriander and dry mustard. Bring to a boil over medium and the reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least an hour. The carrots should be very soft. This could take an hour or more.

Once the carrots are softened remove the dried chilis from the soup and place the mixture into a blender. Blend until very smooth. If you do not have a large enough blender to do all of the soup at once you may do it in batches. Once blended put the soup back into the pan over low heat. Add the non dairy milk and continue to cook for another fifteen minutes or so.

Garnish with cilantro (if desired) and serve.

Crunchy Chick'n

2012-01-23T11:00:00.002-05:00

Do you have a favorite non-vegan childhood meal? You know, the kind that when your Mom said you were haivng it for dinner you did an internal happy dance? For me, it was something called "Crunchy Chicken" which was a family favorite. It was super simple, consisting of only checken breast, butter and potato flakes. When cooked it was transformed into a main dish that was wonderfully tender on the inside and crunchy and buttery on the outside.

I can vividly remember the nights I was assigned clean up duty after having had this for dinner; taking a spoon an eating all the remaining buttery crunchy potato flakes from the pan it was cooked in before washing it.

My family loves this dish and I make it on occasion for them, but for some reason I have never even given any thought to creating a vegan version of it. Upon a recent request for this meal I decided that since there are now two non-meat eaters in the house (my son is newly vegetarian!) it was time.

All I can say is that I loved eating this bit of nostalgia and my son ate it (and loved it) too!

Have you created a vegan version of a childhood favorite? I would love to hear about it!

Crunchy Chick'n

2 Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
1 cup unseasoned potato flakes (read the ingredients on the box- not all are vegan)
1/2 stick plus two pats vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the half stick of vegan butter and place in the bottom of an oven safe dish. Add one half of the potato flakes and stir. They will absorb the butter. Place the frozen Gardein Scallopini in the pan and spread some of the potato flake mixture on top of them, ensuring some remains on the bottom. Cover with the rest of the potato flakes, place one pat of butter (cut into pieces) on top of each scallopini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can spray the scallopini with olive oil cooking spray to help the browning process while cooking but this is not required.

Place in the oven and bake at 350 for about thirty minutes until the potato flakes are nicely browned. Those on the bottom of the pan will likely be a bit more brown than those on top; that is OK.

To serve, scoop some of the crunchy goodness from the bottom of the pan onto the top of the cooked scallopini.

Enjoy.

A Night Out in Philly- Estia

2012-01-22T08:18:00.002-05:00

If you read my recent post about business travel and eating vegan you know I am not shy about asking a non vegan restaurant to make me a vegan meal. On Saturday night we headed into Philadelphia to dine at Estia, a Greek Mediterranean Restaurant which is decidedly non vegan.

Estia Chips- alone worth the trip to Estia.

We needed a restaurant close to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts as my 13 year old son (a rather talented aspiring musician) and his girlfriend (also a musician) went to see the Philadelphia Orchestra perform Beethoven's 3rd. It worked out perfectly!

We sat down and were greeted at the table with some bread and hummus.

I let the waiter know that I would like a vegan meal and he went to speak to the Chef. He returned asking if eggplant would be ok. Um... yes! I love eggplant.

A little while later the waiter returned with some fresh veggies, just for fun!

The Estia Chips- crispy lightly fried zucchini and eggplant, perfectly seasoned and piled up high made a great first course. In fact, these alone are worth the trip to Estia!

Dinner came and I will tell you that hands down, beyond a shadow of a doubt, bar none this is the best eggplant I have EVER had. It was flavorful, tender and had a certain creaminess not typically found with eggplant.

As you can see, I at the whole thing!

We opted to skip dessert and head back to the Kimmel Center to wait for the kids. We were lucky enough to hear the end of the concert from the lobby. From what I coud hear of the music, and the thunderous applause at the end of the show, the kids saw a spectacular concert so it was truly a great night for everyone!

Have you had a great dining experiences in a non vegan restaurant lately? I would really like to know!

Frozen Banana Bites

2012-01-21T14:58:00.001-05:00

For most people the term "banana bites" probably makes you think of, well, bananas. For me, it conjures up memories of my kids when they were very little.

I don't know how or why it started but as toddlers I used to tell them I was going to give them banana bites and they would shriek hysterically in laughter as I tickled them. Quite honestly, I had sort of forgotten about that until I saw this Frozen Banana Bites pin on Pinterest.

I love that a certain phrase or words can conjure up such lovely memories! Every time I bite into one of these I will think about tickling my kids! And while these may not make you shriek with laughter they are quite tasty (and easy to make too!).

Frozen Banana Bites

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli Semi Sweet Chips)
2 bananas cut into bite size chunks
Unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
Chopped toasted hazelnuts (optional)

In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips until very smooth. Remove from the heat, coat the banana chunks in the melted chocolate and transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Sprinkle with toppings (if desired). Place the freezer for at least an hour or until frozen through. Remove from trays and store in a plastic bag or container in the freezer.

Cannellini Bean Spread

2012-01-20T19:41:00.000-05:00

I really should be at the grocery store shopping this evening. It is supposed to snow and the cupboard is bare but I just cannot bring my tired self to head to Wegman's which will undoubtedly be mobbed due to the impending weather. I actually think I will wait until the morning and brave the elements in order to
enjoy an empty store.

Deciding to bag the store did leave me with a bit of a dinner dilemma, though. When I say the cupboard is bare, I mean BARE. All I could find was a can of cannellini beans and some veggies that were just slightly beyond their prime. Time to make do.

This is something I have done different variations of in the past and it always turns out well. You can use whatever bean you have on hand and any vegetables that roast well. It is a great alternative to vegan mayo for sandwiches and is great eaten as a spread on bagels or crackers.

Cannellini Bean Spread

1 15 oz can cannellini beans drained and rinsed

10 baby carrots

5 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

1/2 yellow pepper cut into large pieces

1/2 red pepper cut into large pieces

3 leeks cut into chunks (white part only)

1/2 small onion cut into chunks

Several thyme sprigs

2 tbsp olive oil+ extra for blending

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat eat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the thyme sprigs and toss them to coat with the oil.

Roast the vegetables until tender- about 30 minutes. Discard the thyme stems while retaining the leaves.

In a food processor add the cannellini beans, nutritional yeast and roasted vegetables including the thyme leaves. Blend until very smooth adding olive oil as necessary to smooth out the mixture. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Serve as a spread with crackers or bread or use as a condiment for sandwiches.

Biz Travel and Eating Vegan

2012-01-19T16:02:00.001-05:00

I travel a lot on business. Too much. I am often asked how I can sustain a healthy vegan diet while on the road. In all honesty it is not that hard if you can remember one word: Ask.

Favorite meal this week- room service pizza-to die for!

I have come to the conclusion that I can eat just about anywhere. As a last resort there is always a mixed green salad or baked potato without the butter and sour cream but what I have found is that most chefs are more than willing to accomodate a vegan meal if you just ask.

Veggie burger and fries at Cibo Bistro and Wine bar
Philadelphia Airport

If you do ask, be willing to answer a lot of questions and ask a few of your own. Be willing to allow the chef creative license- you may find you get a meal much better than expected and once in a while one that is downright divine!

OK, this I did not ask for... but I found it at a concession stand
Philadelphia Airport

I have spent the last two weeks traveling back and forth to Denver, a city that I find to be relatively vegan un-friendly. But, I was able to eat pretty well anyway (no rental car so I mostly "dined" in). But, I ate well. Because I was willing to ask.

Tofu with spicy oriental glaze and steamed vegetables at Sonoma'z
Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows

I honestly believe that a decent chef welcomes the opportunity to stray from the routine of their day to day dishes and create something different and delicious. Don't get me wrong. It is not like I don't ever have a bad meal on the road but fortunately they are fewer than the good ones!

Room Service no cheese pizza
Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows

While in Denver this week I was lucky enough to frequent my favorite Denver chain restaurant- Tokyo Joe's! Never been to Tokyo Joe's? That in itself it is worth the trip to Denver!

Boulder Veggie Bowl from Tokyo Joe's
Photo courtesy of Fit on the Rocks

The last last night in Denver this week left me too tired to do anything but pack and order room service. Turned out to be a great choice!

Spinach salad with roasted beets and tomatoes room service
Denver Marriott South Park Meadows

Garlicky veggie pasta room service
Denver Marriott South Park Meadows

All in all, though a short trip, it was a good one. I believe I am going to be able to settle in at home now for a few weeks. And, for as much as I enjoy the pursuit of a good meal on the road there is no place like my own kitchen!

Bon Appetit!

"Rustic" Kale Tater Tots

2012-01-17T07:20:00.000-05:00

I always sort of scratch my head when food is called rustic. It seems to me code word for "not very pretty but tastes good". So, for that reason I call my Kale Tater Tots "rustic".

Baked tots.

I have been trying to incorporate more leafy greens into my diet, especially kale which, for as much as I like it, I do not use as often as I should. I recently saw a recipe for Coclannon Puffs and that is where the inspiration for the kale tots came from.

Pan fried then baked tots.

The recipe was a bit of an experiment since midway through I realized that things were not working out as I thought they would. I had to get somewhat creative to actually make these work. What I thought would be my tot batter ended up more like a thick soup and so I had to adjust.

I remember my Mother often using potato flakes as a thickener when cooking so I decided to incorporate them into my tots and viola, success! And, as Mr. Meat and Potatoes loves potato flakes I figured it was a good way to ensure he would like them. He did!

I did them two ways- pan fried and then baked as well as a healthier baked only version. Both worked well and I would not say one was "better" than the other. If you do not want the added oil then definitely go for the baked ones. Both were flavorful, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Given that, I will go for the baked ones next time!

"Rustic" Kale Tater Tots

5 Russet potatoes, peeled
3 kale leaves, stems removed and rough chopped
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
5 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
2 cups unseasoned potato flakes*
1 cup vegetable oil (optional- to be used if making the fried version)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot boil the potatoes in water until they are tender but not falling apart (you do not want them as soft as when you make mashed potatoes). Once tender remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Set aside.

In the same water the potatoes were boiled in add the kale and allow to boil until tender- about six minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place into a food processor. Cut the potatoes into chunks and add to the food processor along with all the other ingredients except the potato flakes. Pulse until smooth (it should be the consistency of a very thick soup) and transfer back to the bowl the potatoes were in. Add the two cups of potato flakes and stir until the consistency of a thick batter.

Form bater into tater tot shapes or roll into balls (or shape into patties).

For baked tots:
Place the tots onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn the potato tots and increase the heat to 400 degrees. Allow them to cook for another 15 minutes or until as browned as you would like. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

For fried tots:
Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat and add tots. Brown the tots until golden on all sides, remove from the pan and place on paper towels to drain. Once all of the tots are browned and drained place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes increase the heat to 400 degrees and allow them to bake another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve once slightly cooled.

*Note: when selecting potato flakes be sure to read the ingredients as, surprisingly, many contain milk products.

Chickpea Kale and Spinach Tart

2012-01-16T08:49:00.001-05:00

The minute I saw this Veg News recipe for a Chickpea Holiday Tart I knew I would be making it. Some
might say I have a crazy obsession with chickpeas. I do! I absolutely love them!

I changed up the original recipe a bit as it called for frozen spinach which I did not have (I used fresh). I also did not have enough fresh spinach so I made up the difference in kale- how can you go wrong with that? Sine I love thyme, I added more than the recipe called for and made some other minor adjustments as well.

I did not have a nine inch pie crust so I decided to use two smaller pie crusts and that worked out great. I kept one for myself and gave one to my parents. Perfect.

This is a very flavorful and festive tart. The lemon really adds a nice brightness to it. Though the ingredient list appears long it is actually quite simple to make.

Chickpea Kale and Spinach Tart

2 6" whole wheat pie crusts
2 tbsp divided + 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (1/4 cup reserved)
3/4 cup walnuts + extra for garnish (about 2 tbsp chopped)
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp +1/2 tsp organic tamari
1/2 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh kale, roughly chopped
4 tbsp dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic, salt and pepper and saute until caramelized. Set aside.

In a food processor put the chickpeas (minus the 1/4 cup), walnuts (minus the extra for garnish), lemon juice and 2 tsp of tamari and lightly pulse until roughly chopped. Remove half of the chick pea mixture and place into a large bowl. Add to the food processor the caramelized onion, celery and garlic. Blend until smooth and add to the bowl with the rest of the chickpea mixture. Add the remaining 1/4 cup chickpeas, cranberries, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper (if desired) to the chickpea mixture and stir to incorporate.

In same saute pan that was used for the onion, celery and garlic add 1 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium. Add the spinach and kale and quickly saute until witled. Add to the chickpea mixture and give a quick stir.

Put 1/2 the mixture into each pie crust. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp tamari. Brush on top of the pie and sprinkle with the 2 tbsp chopped walnuts. Bake for approximately 35 minutes at 400 degrees or until nicely browned and heated through.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

The Pink Lady Smoothie

2012-01-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

My friend LJ has tweeted several times about the Pink Lady Smoothies she has in the morning. Not too long ago she posted the recipe and I discovered what makes in pink is beets! I had erroneously assumed strawberry. When I saw beets I knew I had to try it! It was delicious! Thanks LJ!

I altered the recipe slightly to reflect what I had on hand. That is what I love about smoothies- it is almost impossible to mess it up!

The Pink Lady Smoothie

1 smallish beet, peeled

5 kale leaves
2 small/medium bananas
1/4 apple
1 tbsp flax seeds or flax meal
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 cups non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
Agave syrup to taste ( her recipe calls for dates which I did not have)
A few ice cubes

Place ingredients into a high powered blender and blend, blend, blend. Depending on your blender you may want to cut the fruits and veggies into smaller pieces.

I did mine in the "Shake and Take" so I could not get it as smooth as I would have liked. The next one I will make in my newly purchased Vitamix (YAY-- I cannot wait for it to be delivered)!

Note: this makes two full servings.

Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

2012-01-14T13:57:00.002-05:00

Ever since I learned to make chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella style) I have been yammering on about creating vegan versions of recipes with Nutella.

A friend recently shared a super simple four ingredient Nutella brownie recipe and it looked great. Only one egg to worry about replacing? I can do that!

Here is my version- kid and husband approved!

Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recipe here)
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer (I used EnerG)
2 tbsp water
5 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup raw, chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl combine egg replacer and water and whisk.

In a larger bowl add the chocolate hazelnut spread and the egg replacer. Whisk to incorporate. Add the flour and either whisk or stir to combine. This makes a very thick batter.

Prepare a mini muffin tin with liners.. Spoon batter into each liner until about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.

Place in the oven and bake for 12-13 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a little bit of batter.

Allow to cool, serve and enjoy.

Note: If the batter seems too thick or if you want a slightly sweeter cupcake add a small amount of agave or chocolate syrup to the batter (about a tablespoon or so). This may also ensure a moister brownie.

Simple Lemon Curd Tarts

2012-01-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

On New Years Eve my son requested we have the same dessert we had the year prior- Lemon Curd and Raspberry Phyllo Napoleons. We were not able to get it together to make them for New Years Eve so we decided to make them New Years Day.

One small problem- we did not have any phyllo dough sheets in the house. We went for what we did have, and the next best thing- some pre-made phyllo shells we had in the refrigerator. Turns out this is a whole lot easier and just as delicious!

Simple Lemon Curd Tarts

1 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup cold water
1 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp organic cane sugar
4 tbsp cornstarch
Zest of 4 lemons, divided
2 tbsp Earth Balance
6 tbsp non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
Phyllo shells, thawed
Berries of your choice
Powdered sugar (optional)

Combine the lemon juice, water, sugar, cornstarch and 1 tbsp of the lemon zest into a blender. Blend until well incorporated

Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and turn heat to medium. Stirring constantly heat the liquid until it comes to a boil. Once boiling allow the mixture to boil without stirring for one minute. It will start to become thickened. Add the non dairy milk, Earth Balance and the rest of the lemon zest and stir well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover and place in the refrigerator. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools fully.

When ready to serve, fill the phyllo shells with some lemon curd and top with the berries of your choice. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired.

*Note: this recipe makes about two cups of lemon curd.

Family Dinner and a Puffed Vegetable Pot Pie Bowl

2012-01-05T06:43:00.000-05:00

I have had plans to make little bowls out of puff pastry to fill with a pot pie filling for quite some time. I don't know why it took me so long to finally do this but I swear I have been meaning to do this for about a year. Seriously. A year.

Today, I got a few hours to myself while Mr. Meat and Potatoes was out and both kids were at the movies so I decided to do it. I did not have any of the traditional mixed veggies (you know, the frozen kind) that go into a pot pie filling. I really did not feel like going out to the store for just that and I am pretty much the only one in the house that likes them anyway. So, I decided to use what I had on hand.

Of course, I made enough to feed a small army (why do I insist on doing that?).

When my daughter got home, unbeknownst to me she called my parents and asked them to dinner (you just have to love that!). They accepted so for once, I actually had the right amount of food for the number of people eating.

Dinner was delicious and received high marks but even better than that was an impromptu family dinner. I love that.

Puffed Vegetable Pot Pie Bowl

For the filling:
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
4 oz shitake mushrooms, chopped
6 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 cup vegetable stock, divided
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Vegan Butter (I used Earth Balance)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the puff pastry bowls:
3 packages puff pastry, thawed according to package directions (I used Pepperidge Farm)*

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a pot of water boil the potatoes until fork tender and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling prepare the puff pastry bowls by placing a single layer of puff pastry on a flat surface. Using a 4" ring or biscuit cutter cut out the base of the bowl. Place the bases on a lightly greased baking sheet. Discard extra pastry or reserve for another use.

Place another three layers of puff pastry stacked on top of one another onto a flat surface. Again cut four rings with a 4" mold. Using a smaller ring (3" would be ideal) cut another circle in the center of the circles just cut. Remove the outer ring and place on top of the bases that are on the baking sheet. If desired you may use a little bit of water where they layers of pastry touch one another to help the layers hold together (I just pressed them lightly against one another- don't push to hard as you want the pastry to rise enough to form a bowl). Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown, Don't worry if they are not perfectly shaped or are a little puffy on the bottom- they will be filled and look great.

While the puff pastry bowls are baking prepare the filling by heating the olive oil and Earth Balance in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute a few minutes until tender but not browned. Add 1/4 cup vegetable stock, the cooked potatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms and corn and allow to cook until the pepper gets tender, the mushrooms release their juices and the corn is warmed through. Add the parsley and thyme. Season with salt and pepper each time you add new ingredients to the pan.

While the vegetables are cooking, in a separate sauce pan over medium heat add the rest of the vegetable stock, the flour and the non dairy milk. Whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a near boil and is thickened. Add to the vegetable mixture and stir.

Spoon the vegetable mixture into the puff pastry bowls and serve.

*Note: had I known my parents were coming to dinner I would have made two extra puff pastry bowls. Since I did not have enough puff pastry left to do that when I found out they were coming I simply baked the middle rounds that were cut out when making the bowls. I served those to the kids with the filling spooned over top as if it were a biscuit.

Not Your Ordinary Jalapeño Popper and an Unlikely Pie

2012-01-04T18:03:00.000-05:00

You may recall a friend had given me some sweet potatoes. One of them was absolutely gargantuan and I still had half of it left. I also had about twelve jalapeño peppers that I am sure I had some sort of plan for. Unfortunately, for the life of me I could not remember what it was.

They both needed to be used so after some thought I decided to try a popper using a sweet potato filling. Sometimes I am brilliant! They were really good (and really spicy).

If you do not want them too spicy make sure you do a good job at cleaning out the seeds and veins before stuffing them as that is where most of the heat resides. I like some kick so I was not particularly diligent about removing all of the seeds and veins.

I debated weather or not to bread them . My son declared poppers require breading so bread them we did. Normally I would fry them but in the sprit of a healthy new year decided to go healthier and used a variation of a breading recipe my friend Meg of The Snarky Chick Pea created. Almost the same recipe I used for these baked onion rings.

I ended up stuffing all of the peppers and still had a good amount of the filling left over so I took what was left and put it into two mini pie shells and baked it. Dinner! Delicious! I mentined that this sweet potato was gargantuan, didn't I ?!?

Sweet Potato Poppers

For the peppers and filling:
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup non dairy cheese (I used Daiya Mozzarella Shreds)
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste
12 large jalapeño peppers

For the batter:*
3/4- 1 cup all purpose flour**
1 cup non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup bread crumb
1 tsp smoked chipotle powder (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot boil the sweet potatoes until fork tender. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add the non dairy cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mash well and set aside.

Prepare the jalapeño peppers by slicing them down the middle taking care not to slice them in half. Remove the seeds and veins. Stuff each pepper with some of the filling.

Prepare the batter by mixing the non dairy milk, apple cider vinegar and flour in a bowl. In a second bowl add the bread crumb, olive oil, onion salt, garlic powder and chipotle powder (if using) and mix well until the oil is well incorporated. Dip each jalapeño into the batter and then dredge in the bread crumb. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes or until nicely browned.*** If not browned to your liking you may want to put the peppers under a broiler for about two minutes before taking them out.

And, if like me you have a lot of filling left over you may want to put it into a mini pie shell and bake for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Note: you may roast the peppers without breading them at all and they will be delicious.
**Note: start with 3/4 cup flour. if you find the batter slightly runny you can always add an additional 1/4 cup of flour.
***Note: you could also deep fry these in vegetable oil until golden brown instead of baking.

Crock Pot Vegetable Stock

2012-01-02T20:25:00.000-05:00

As you might imagine I go through an awful lot of vegetables. And, not surprisingly I cook with an awful lot of vegetable stock. I have been buying organic culinary vegetable stock for some time now. I started to add up the cost of all that stock and the result really surprised me! It adds up to a lot!

So, I started thinking, why would I spend all that money on vegetable stock when I throw away so much vegetable through the course of regular food prep/chopping? You know, the ends of green beans, mushroom stems, potato peels, the tops of onions and carrots, stems from parsley and other herbs. It's not really very "green" to throw that stuff away and, while I have often thought about composting, to date have not done so.

I decided that it's crazy to continue to buy stock while all the while throwing out the very stuff stock is made of (including vegetables that get just a bit "over ripe"). So, I have started keeping all those bits and ends of vegetables each time I chop, along with vegetables that get just a bit "too ripe" adding them to a gallon size bag marked "for stock" that I keep in my freezer. When the bag is full I know it is time to make stock!

I like to make it in the crockpot letting it cook on low overnight. Super simple and I can control what goes into it, including the amount of sodium. I hope you will consider doing the same- the result is every bit as good if not better as what you can get in the store!

Crock Pot Vegetable Stock

1 gallon size bag of veggie bits, herb stems and leaves
3 bay leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper
Other spices you may desire
Water (enough to just cover the vegetables)

Place veggies and spices in a crock pot and fill with water until just covered. Turn crock pot on low and allow to cook for up to 12 hours. Strain liquid from the mixture and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for use over the next week or so, or in the freezer for future use.

Glazed Donuts

2012-01-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

This year, my daughter got a Babycakes Mini Donut Maker for Christmas. I am not much for kitchen gadgets such as this but I guess Santa realized how badly she wanted it! Every time we were in Wegman's together she made it known she would really like one and well, I guess he heard her.

Yesterday morning we gave the donut maker a try. I have never been much of a donut fan and have certainly never made them before. The recipes that came with the donut maker were less than exciting so I went online to do a quick search for easy donut recipes.

I ended up using a recipe for both a donut and a glaze I found at The Urban Housewife. I did not change it much except that I omitted the soy milk in favor of So Delicious Coconut milk in both the donuts and the glaze. I also did not use nutmeg, instead opting for just cinnamon.

I cannot tell you first hand if these were good or not but judging by the fact that only crumbs were left on the plate they were served on I am going to take a wild guess that they were good! They were literally devoured before I could even get to taste one!

Glazed Donuts

For the donuts:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup non dairy milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut)
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Egg replacer equivalent to one egg (I used EnerG)
4 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Butter

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1tbsp non dairy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Optional Topping:
3 or more tbsp sprinkles

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk to incorporate.

In a small saucepan over low heat add the wet ingredients including the egg replacer prepared according tot he package directions. If using EnerG egg replacer use 1 1/2 tsp egg replacer and one tbsp of water. Add the Earth Balance and allow just to melt. The mixture should be warm to the touch but not hot.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to form a spongy batter.

Place 2 tbsp of batter into each spot in the donut maker. Cook according to the makers directions. (I found the donuts were done after about 3-5 minutes. If not using a donut maker use a donut pan and place into a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool.

While cooling pepare the glaze. In a bowl, mix the confectioners sugar, non dairy milk and vanilla until smooth. Dip cooled donuts into the glaze and place on a serving dish. If desired cover with sprinkles.