Vegalicious

Review: Roasted Potatoes, Apples and Sausages with Maple Mustard Glaze

2012-05-16T17:48:08Z

We spotted this tasty one-pan recipe earlier in the week on healthyseasonalrecipes.com and have been looking forward to adapting it to be vegan.

It was simple to adapt the recipe, just by using soy sausages. But, baking time were adjusted (roast for ca 20 minutes, final bake 35 – 40 minutes). Traditionally, German recipes often combine potatoes with apples. It makes a lovely combination.

Sweet Potato, Mango and Fava Bean Salad

2012-05-14T19:48:12Z

This is a lovely salad. The sweet potaotes combine well with the mango, and the bright green favas add protein and color.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

4 med. sweet potatoes
1 lg. ripe mango
1/2 fava beans, blanched, and skins peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime or lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
light dash of cayenne or Tabasco
small handful cilantro or mint
Salad greens of choice

Directions:

As it was a warm day, I did not want to “fire up” the oven, so I boiled the sweet potatoes. You can grill, bake or boil them, just make sure they are not too soft.
Once the sweet potatoes have been allowed to cool, peel the skins and cut them into cubes.
Place the sweet potato pieces in a large bowl.
Prepare the fava beans. Blanch them, remove the skins and add to the sweet potatoes.
Prepare the dressing by mixing the olive oil and lime or lemon, agave, salt and pepper and either a bit of cayenne or Tabasco according to your preference.
Chop the cilantro or mint – use which ever you prefer – as a compliment to the salad.
Peel and cut the mango into one inch cubes.
Add the mango pieces to the sweet potatoes and fava beans.
Lightly drizzle the dressing over the salad, add the chopped mint or cilantro and gently mix.
We served the salad on a bed of sliced iceberg lettuce. It would be nice with any greens.

Review: Vegan Apple Date Muffins

2012-05-11T18:46:55Z

Champa of the Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen blog has come up with a very tasty apple date muffin recipe. We still have some apples from last year and gave it a try for Sunday morning breakfast.

It’s totally vegan and very easy to make. The nutmeg gives a nice “nutty” flavor to the recipe. The recipe can also successfully be cut in half to make 6 nice muffins.

Vegan Buckwheat Crepes with Creamy Mushroom Filling

2012-05-09T18:47:01Z

Buckwheat crepes, known as galettes are a traditional main meal in parts of France. We are happy to offer this vegan version, as it is one of our favorite meals to enjoy. This time we made a creamy mushroom filling.

Yield: 4 very big galettes or 5-6 smaller ones

Ingredients:

for the buckwheat crepes:

2 egg replacements
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 &1/4 cups water possibly 1/4 cup more

for the creamed mushroom filling:

1 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
10 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup soy cream
tarragon or Italian herbs, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup dry white wine

Directions:

It is best to make the crepe batter 2-3 hours before.

to make the batter for the crepes:

Place the 2 flowers in a large mixing bowl.
Add the salt and cornstarch.
Prepare the egg replacements (I used Orgran No Egg – 2 teaspoons no egg powder with 4 tablespoons water then whisked to a frothy mixture).
Pour the no egg mixture into the flours, add the water and oil, and mix with a fork to a smooth consistency.
Cover and allow to rest.

to make the mushroom filling:

Heat the oil in large frying pan. Saute the onions.
Add the mushrooms and saute until soft.
Add the herbs salt and pepper.
Mix the cornstarch in the white wine.
Add the soy cream and then the wine mixture.
Stir until the sauce becomes thick, then turn the heat down to low.

to make the crepes:

Stir the batter and check the consistency. If it is too thick, add a bit more water. It should be a medium thin, mixture.
Heat a crepe pan.
Spray evenly with oil.
Pour 1 ladle full of batter onto the crepe pan. Gently rotate the pan to spread the batter.
As the top of the crepe becomes dry, gently shake the crepe pan to loosen the crepe. Carefully check the bottom of the crepe by lifting an edge with a spatula. As it is crispy golden, it is done. Shake the crepe onto a large plate to be filled.
Traditionally the galette is filled in the center then each side folder over to form a square with the center slightly open showing the filling.

Sunchoke Soup

2012-05-07T20:09:00Z

Sunchokes are also known as Jerusalem artichokes or topinambour. The plant is a species of sunflower native to eastern North America and quite easy to grow. Sunchokes are great raw in salads, make a delicious soup as this one or a delicious gratin.

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

1 lemon (to keep veggies from browning while cutting them)
2 pounds sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke), peeled & chopped
1 celery root, peeled and chopped
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
half bottle dry white wine
2 cups vegetable bouillon
1 cup soy cream
thyme
nutmeg (optional but nice)

Directions:

Saute the onions and garlic in oil in a soup pot.
Add the root veggies and thyme, then add the vegetable bouillon.
Simmer until root veggies are soft.
Puree to a smooth consistency and use the wine and soy cream to thin the soup as you puree it.
Add the nutmeg, and season with salt and white pepper as desired.
We garnished the soup with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Review: Rhubarbaritas

2012-05-05T19:30:16Z

We found this tasty recipe for a rhubarb margarita at the taste for adventure blog.

We really enjoyed the drink on Cinco de Mayo. The rhubarb flavor was not as noticeable as the lime, however, it was a great drink. As we have 5 rhubarb plans, we can have this drink often durig rhubarb season.

Lemony Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Walnuts

2012-05-04T18:01:41Z

We really enjoyed this tasty dinner tonight. It could be made with rice risotto but the barley was delicious, and we often forget to use this healthy grain.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

3/4 lbs. fresh green asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable bouillon
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup fresh mixed Italian herbs
1 tablespoon freshly grated organic lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

Prepare and cook the asparagus in a pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold water. Set the asparagus aside.
Saute the onion in the vegan margarine in a large frying pan over moderate heat, stirring until softened.
Add the barley and stir to evenly coat and season the barley.
Add the wine, 1 cup of the broth and the herbs.
Simmer until most of liquid is absorbed and barley is al dente, about 30 minutes.
Gradually add remaining cup broth, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until absorbed.
Add the nutritional yeast and mix well.
Stir in the asparagus, walnuts, lemon zest, lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper.

Note:

Adapted from http://galtime.com/article/food/29610/1936/barley-risotto-asparagus-lemon-toasted-walnuts

Review: Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2012-05-02T17:53:57Z

We found this delicious recipe at the Joy of Baking blog. This was the tastiest strawberry and rhubarb pie I have ever had.

Stephanie at Joy of Baking is an incredible baker. The recipe was very easy to adapt to be vegan. It was only a matter of substituting vegan margarine for the butter, we did not glaze the top of the pie, but if you wanted to, you could use soy milk or even water so that the sprinkled sugar would stick. This was rally easy to make a sublime in flavor. Rhubarb season has just started, and we have 5 wonderful plants in the garden.

Curried Potato Salad with Mango

2012-04-30T21:47:33Z

This is a new and different potato salad. The combination of potatoes and mango is very tasty.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs. potatoes, boiled, peeled and cubed
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 – 1 & 1/2 teaspoons mild curry powder
1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut in pieces
handful fresh cilantro or coriander, chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
splash lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the potatoes by cooking, peeling and cutting in cubes.
Place the cubed potatoes in a large bowl.
Meanwhile chop the onion, prepare the mango and chop the cilantro or coriander leaves.
Heat the oil in a frying pan.
Add the onions and cook until golden brown.
Add the cumin, coriander powder, curry, a dash of salt and mix well.
Add the mango pieces and lightly warm, stirring to mix well.
Add the sugar to lightly caramelize the mango and onions and add the splash of lemon juice.
While the mixture is warm, pour over the potatoes and gently stir to mix.
Add the chopped cilantro or coriander.
The salad is best served warm.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Blini

2012-04-27T19:01:49Z

We enjoyed these tasty treats for Sunday morning breakfast. They would also be nice at a brunch or even as a mid-afternoon treat.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the blini:

1 cup self rising flour
2 egg replacements
2 cups soy milk
1 small pkg. of yeast
2 tbs. sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tbs. vegetable oil

for the ricotta-style filling:

8 ounces tofu crumbled
2 tbs. plain soy yogurt
2 teaspoons agave or malt syrup
splash lemon juice
pinch nutmeg

for the strawberry rhubarb sauce:

1 lb. rhubarb (between 4 and 6 stalks)
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:

It is important that the ingredients for the batter are all warm or room temperature so that the yeast can rise. You can make the filling and sauce while the ingredients are coming to room temperature or warming up.

to make the batter:

Put the warm soy milk, sugar yeast and 1/2 of the flour in a bowl and gently whisk together. Be careful so as not to kill the yeast.
Place the mixture in a warm spot and allow the yeast to rise for 1/2 hour.
When the yeast begins to bubble, gently stir the mixture from time to time so that the ingredients are well mixed.
Add the remaining ingredients for the batter and gently stir together. It will be a thick smooth batter.

for the sauce:

Cut rhubarb into half-inch slices.
Hull and slice the strawberries.
Place the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a soft boil.
Add the rhubarb, cinnamon, and most of the sliced strawberries. Save a few strawberries to garnish with.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Cook fruit mixture for 8-10 minutes until softened but not mushy.
After 4 minutes of cooking, mix the cornstarch with a bit of water and add to the cooking fruit. Stir the mixture gently as it cooks. It will become thicker and clear. Remove from the heat.

to make the filling:

Crumble the tofu into a small bowl.
Add the soy yogurt and mix and mash together.
Add the sweetener and the nutmeg and lemon juice and mix well.
If the mixture is too liquid, you can add a bit more tofu, or some dried breadcrumbs will absorb the liquid and make a firm filling.

to make the blini:

Spray a small frying pan with vegetable oil.
Ladle a small amount of batter onto the hot pan and rotate the pan to evenly coat with the batter.
The underside of the blini is done when small bubbles appear on the top side. Turn the blini over and cook on the other side.

to assemble:

Put a small amount of filling in each blini “pancake”, and fold the sides in as an envelope.
You can set the blini in a warm oven until they are all prepared.
Serve the blini with the sauce and enjoy.

Vegalicious

Review: Roasted Potatoes, Apples and Sausages with Maple Mustard Glaze

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