Chez Cayenne

Masala Fried Rice-Tofu Scramble

2012-01-25T18:41:00.000-06:00

This recipe was a complete impulse.

Despite the fact that I've been cooking tofu for years, I've only recently discovered tofu scrambles. I've been wanting to try different versions of tofu scramble and when I ended up with a lot of leftover basmati rice after dinner a couple of nights ago, I had the idea to combine a scramble with fried rice.

My tofu had been frozen previously. Frozen, thawed tofu allows you to squeeze almost all of the water out resulting in 'fu that's dry and chewy. While perfect for dishes with gravy, as the spongy tofu soaks up flavors better, it doesn't make the best scramble usually. But blended in with the rice, the texture was perfect.

Since I had spiced the rice with Indian spices (saffron, cardamom, bayleaf, fennel, and cumin) I spiced the tofu accordingly and added cashew nuts and green onions. This made the most perfect brunch. The spices were warming and eye-opening, but the dish was rich and mellow, not hot. I was so hungry by the time I was through photographing the dish, I almost ate the whole bowl.

This is another recipe for My Legume Love Affair, which I am hosting this month.

Masala Fried Rice-Tofu Scramble

Use fresh tofu or some that's been previously frozen, thawed and squeezed dry. If using fresh, omit the tablespoon of water.

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

8 ounces firm tofu or medium-firm tofu

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon mild chili powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

1 tablespoon water (optional, see note above)

1-1/2 to 2 cups cooked basmati rice, plain or spiced

1 tablespoon soy sauce or two taste

1 green onion, green part, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped cashews

1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (optional)

Heat canola oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add tofu and use the edge of a spatula to crumble into pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle nutritional yeast, garam masala, cumin, chili powder and onion powder over the tofu. Sprinkle the water over the tofu, if using. Flip over the tofu with the spatula repeatedly until the spices are mixed in. Add the rice and continue flipping the scramble until the rice is mixed into the tofu and heated through. Stir in the soy sauce, green onion and cashews. Sprinkle the sesame oil over the top.

Serves 2-3.

Lentil-Wild Rice Pilaf

2012-01-19T17:58:00.000-06:00

I feel a little bit guilty for posting this. You see, it's been on the blog twice before in other guises. It's a riff on this veggie loaf, and I also used the veggie loaf recipe as a guide for these lentil mushroom sliders. But it's such a good recipe, it deserves to be recycled. And it fits perfectly with the recent theme I've been working on. So I only feel a tiny bit guilty.

French green lentils hold their shape and firmness after cooking, resulting in a fluffy pilaf in which every element is separate from its neighbors. The flavor is rounded out with warming sage, thyme, onions and celery. It's quite filling, so it's a good dish with a light vegetable soup or a salad.

This is my entry for My Legume Love Affair this month, the popular blog event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. I am hosting this month, so please take a look at the event announcement and keep your entries coming my way!

Lentil-Wild Rice Pilaf

Instead of individual spices, I used poultry seasoning, a commercial blend of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg available at most supermarkets here. I made my own following these two recipes. You can also substitute a 1:1 blend of sage and thyme.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced, about 1 cup

2 stalks celery, finely diced, about 2/3 cup

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup long grain brown rice

3 cups vegetable broth, divided

1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, divided

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

2/3 cup French green lentils

1/3 cup wild rice

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

2 green onions, sliced, tops only

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Sauté onion and celery until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute or two. Stir in brown rice. Add 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the rice to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 40-50 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. (If some liquid remains after 50 minutes, cook uncovered on low until it's gone, for up to 5 minutes. Don't stir the rice or it will get sticky.)

In another saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, stir together the lentils, wild rice, remaining 1 cup vegetable broth, 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Just as you started the brown rice above, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 30-40 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.

Fluff up rice and lentil mixture with a fork. Carefully mix together. Top with walnuts and sliced green onions.

Serves 6.

Butternut Quinoa Casserole

2012-01-11T18:08:00.000-06:00

So, I am working on a series of recipes for Thanksgiving…

Yeah, I know. And I'm not even going to pretend to be posting Thanksgiving recipes ten months early; I admit that I'm months late. I didn't actually get the idea for the series until the week before the holiday, and while at first I thought of postponing the series until next year, I decided to go ahead and work on the recipes now. For one thing, I'm motivated now. Also, the weather stays hot here right up until about the week before Thanksgiving and I still want to make food that most of you would consider summery then - dishes with vegetables like eggplant and fresh tomatoes and lots of spice. The desire for fall comfort food comes late for me, so I'm afraid I might never test my ideas out next fall in time for Thanksgiving.

This series is to solve a couple of conflicts I have with vegetarian main dishes on the holiday table. Conflict one happens when visiting extended family. No matter how much we protest that we're fine with all the side dishes, the hostesses in my family always try to graciously provide a vegetarian main dish for the three of us. However, I don't want them to have the extra work, and usually no one else will eat what they made for us because it's "special." In addition to extra work for the hostess, this means we feel obligated to eat more than we really want to. I don't want to bring my own vegetarian main dish either if no one else will eat it.

The solution is to make something that can be a main dish for us vegetarians, but can be served as a side dish to everyone else. Also it needs to be something that can be prepared in advance and will travel well. A casserole fills the bill, and not just any casserole, but one that's filling and has a protein component and some healthy fat.

A dish like this is also a great solution for conflict two, which happens when we eat our holiday meal at home, just me and my guys. You see, they just want two things: pie, and before that, mashed potatoes. Lots and lots of mashed potatoes. Acres of them. If I make lots of other dishes to round out the meal, they go uneaten, no matter how welcome they'd be at other times. So I usually just go to the Asian market and get some veggie chicken to slice and heat up. This makes me unhappy, because I want foodie food - something with lots of vegetables and great warm flavors and spices. Once again, a casserole comes to the rescue.

Over the next few weeks expect to see lots of casseroles like this one. Next year, I'll do a round up of them, along with a new one or two. I imagine that I can't be the only one who could use a few dishes like these to solve holiday meal problems. In the meantime, these make for great weekend suppers along with soup or a salad. (This one, for example, was accompanied by Leek and Potato Soup.)

This is a deconstructed stuffed acorn squash recipe and at the end, I've included instructions to make it in its original form. I wish I could take credit for this one, as I think it's absolutely brilliant, but alas, it's not original to me. I found this in the early 00's in the Village Voice. The recipe was from Moby, which he offered to show that you don't need to eat turkey at Thanksgiving.

This version calls for roasted butternut squash. Usually, recipes with roasted butternut squash call for peeling and cubing it raw, but that can be time consuming. However, it's possible to roast it with the peel on and remove the peel after it's cooked, which is much easier. The trick is to cut the squash into pieces of the same thickness so that they all cook at the same rate.

First, preheat the oven to 400 F and oil a baking pan. Cut across the middle of the butternut squash where the neck meets the rounder bottom section. Then cut the bottom section in half to expose the cavity with the seeds. Scoop out the seeds and surrounding stringy portion. Now cut the stem off the neck and cut the neck lengthwise into two pieces. Cut each of these pieces lengthwise into 2 or 3 wedges. Your squash will look something like the one below.

Brush the cut or scooped sides of the squash with olive oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you can insert a fork easily through the squash. Let cool enough to handle and then trim the peel off with a paring knife. Cube.

Butternut Quinoa Casserole

1 butternut squash, about 2-1/2 pounds

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, minced, about 1 cup

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely diced, about 1 cup

1 stick celery, minced, about 1/3 cup

1 large Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup golden raisins

1-1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

2 teaspoons cumin

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Roast squash according to the directions above. Turn oven temperature down to 375 F. Oil a casserole.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion, fennel, and celery until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in apple, raisins and maple syrup. Add the vegetable broth, quinoa, cumin, cinnamon and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Stir in the butternut squash cubes and transfer the mixture to the casserole. Top with the pecans and bake, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serves 6 as a main dish or 12 as a side.

Stuffed acorn squash version (original version): Replace the butternut squash with three acorn squashes. Cut them open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits. Brush with olive oil and roast in a 400 F oven for 30-35 minutes until fork-tender. Turn the heat down to 375 F.

Before adding oil to the skillet and sautéing the vegetables, toast the pecans for about 3 minutes until fragrant and set aside.

Cook the onion, fennel, celery, apple, raisins, maple syrup, vegetable broth, quinoa, cumin, cinnamon and salt as above. Stir in the pecans and mound the filling into the acorn squash halves. Bake for 15 minutes for 6 servings.

Top 10 from 2011

2012-01-06T17:56:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd get in on the fun and post my top 10 favorites from this blog over the last year. I chose them not because I managed to get a pretty picture, or because they were easy. Rather they were chosen on originality and primarily, deliciousness. These are all dishes my family loved and that I am very likely to make again. I hope you enjoy revisiting them too.

10. Green and White Bean Dip

9. Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

8. Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

7. Soy Sesame Roasted Broccoli

6. Tofu Po'boys

5. Curried Roasted Potato Salad

4. Vegan Spanakopita

3. Lentil Mushroom Sliders

2. King Ranch Casserole

1. Triple Chocolate Carrot Brownies

Creamy Baked Spinach and Mushroom Rotini

2012-01-03T16:51:00.005-06:00

Cold weather makes me crave baked casseroles like this one. Spinach, mushrooms and fusilli are enhanced with an herb and vegetable flavored white sauce and topped with crisp bread crumbs.

This makes enough for eight servings, so if you like you can divide this between two pans and freeze one for later.

I'm sending this to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by the event's creator, Haalo of Cook Almost Anything.

Creamy Baked Spinach and Mushroom Rotini

6 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine, divided

1-1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced (I used 1 pound cremini, 1/4 pound shiitake, and 1/4 pound oyster)

1 tablespoon dry vermouth or white wine (optional)

1 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup minced celery, about 1 stalk

1/2 cup minced carrot, about 1 carrot

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1-1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon basil

8 ounces fusilli or other small pasta shape

1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2/3 cup bread crumbs, preferably panko crumbs

Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in a large skillet or a pot. Sauté mushrooms over medium heat until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in vermouth or wine, if using, and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add another tablespoon of margarine and saute the onion, celery and carrot until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Turn heat down to low and add the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. When the margarine has melted, stir in the flour with a wire whisk. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to remove lumps. Turn the heat back up to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast, salt, and oregano and remove the sauce from the heat.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9 x 13-inch pan or two 8 x 8-inch ones. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to the mushrooms. Stir in the sauce and spinach. Spread the pasta in the pan(s) and top with bread crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot in the center.

Serves 8.

Announcing My Legume Love Affair 43

2011-12-29T17:44:00.000-06:00

I am honored to be hosting the first My Legume Love Affair of 2012, the popular legume-focused blog event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. I am so glad to be hosting this month in particular. Like most people, I eat too much rich and sweet food over the holidays and by January, I am ready for lighter, more nutritious fare. Legumes are the first post-holiday food I turn to.

Legumes include a wide variety of beans, lentils, dal, peas, seeds also known as pulses, and their edible pods. Peanuts are legumes, as are tamarind, carob and fenugreek. For this event, foods derived from legumes such as tofu and besan also qualify. Whatever your chosen legume, please make sure that it is a main ingredient; a mere spoonful isn't enough legume love here.

All courses and cuisines are welcome, and even though this is a vegan blog I’m not restricting entries to vegan or vegetarian ones. You can submit up to 10 recipes for this event (but only one will be counted toward the random drawing for prizes.) If you have any older recipes you would like to enter, please update and repost them during this month to qualify. You an also send recipes entered here to other events, assuming they meet the other event's rules of course. Recipes from those of you without a blog are also welcome.

Use of the MLLA logo is optional; if you like, here is a smaller version of the one above for your sidebar.

Please mention My Legume Love Affair in your post and link it to this announcement and Susan's host line up.

Email your entries to me at cdmcculloch7 [at] gmail [dot] com with MLLA 43 in the subject line and include:

Your name.
The name of your blog.

Your recipe title.

The URL of your blog post that includes the recipe.
Your location. This is necessary for the prize drawing, but I will not be publishing locations in the roundup.
A photo (optional). You can resize your photo to 400 x 300 pixels (either landscape or portrait) or I can do it for you. If you don't send me a photo, I'll grab one from your blog post.

I will post the round up during the first week in February.

And now for the prizes! These will be chosen by random drawing among all the entries except mine and Susan's, as we don't qualify. Only your first entry in MLLA 43 counts towards the prize drawing.

The 2012 Chile Peppers Wall Calendar - This prize is offered by Susan without influence at her expense, and she will also absorb worldwide shipping charges. F.T.C. Notice: Susan does not receive any compensation from Amazon.
Hurst Bean Box - A case of six bags of the winner's choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Bean. (Due to shipping restrictions, this prize can only be awarded if the winner is a U.S. resident.) F.T.C. Notice: In May 2010, Susan, at her request, received two Hurst Bean complimentary products which are not available for purchase in her local markets. Susan does not generally accept free products from Hurst Bean nor is she financially compensated by them.

Drawing Structure - If the winner is a U.S. resident, she/he will be the recipient of both Prizes 1 and 2 above. In the event that an international winner is drawn, a second drawing will be conducted from the U.S. pool of entrants to ensure that the Hurst Prize is awarded every month. In these instances, the international winner will receive the book, and the U.S. winner will receive the Hurst Prize.

Soy and Cola-Braised Jackfruit Sandwiches

2011-12-28T13:02:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season! I had a great Christmas, but I have just about had my fill of rich holiday food. It's time for something different.

A few weeks ago, I cut a recipe for Soy and Cola-Braised Pork Shoulder from Cooking Light, having no idea what I would do with it. A few days later, I saw jackfruit on sale at the Asian market and I had my answer. I've seen numerous recipes for jackfruit carnitas or barbeque and I've wanted to try it for a while. I used the sauce from the Cooking Light recipe and this jackfruit barbeque recipe as a guide.

When I told the guys how I made these, they were calling them "fruit burgers." Despite how they look, the jackfruit doesn't taste anything like any meat I've had. The closest they come to is the mild vegetal flavor of yellow squash. The texture is soft, yet the pieces don't completely fall apart. The seeds soften in the slow cooker and meld into the rest of the jackfruit. Since it isn't very filling, I'd suggest baked beans or chili beans as a side.

The sauce is full of flavor. If you didn't want to cook jackfruit, the sauce would be worth adapting to a tofu or seitan recipe.

I am entering this in the Hearth 'n' Soul blog hop and My Meatless Mondays.


Thai jackfruit and Mexican Coke

It even looks like pork, if pork had seeds


If it weren't for the seeds...

Soy and Cola-Braised Jackfruit Sandwiches

2 (20-ounce) cans jackfruit in brine or water (not syrup)
2 cups cola, preferably made with cane sugar

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1-1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

5 hamburger rolls

Green onions for garnish (optional)

Drain the jackfruit and transfer to a slow-cooker. Whisk together the cola, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir in the ginger and garlic. Pour over the jackfruit. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 10 hours. (I used a combination of settings.)

Drain the sauce from the jackfruit into a saucepan. Boil the sauce for 15 minutes until reduced to half the original volume. Shred the jackfruit by mashing with a potato masher, or with two forks. Stir about 1/2 cup reduced sauce back into the jackfruit and spoon onto the buns. Top with green onions if desired. Serve with the rest of the sauce on the side.

Makes 5 servings.

Chocolate Peppermint Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-17T16:53:00.000-06:00

These crinkle cookies have all the Christmas flavors in them: chocolate, peppermint, pecans and gingerbread. When I first read the recipe on the label of my bottle of molasses, I thought that all those flavors together might be too much, but they meld together nicely.

I couldn't find any peppermint candy canes at the grocery store this year. They were all flavors like blueberry, cherry and bubblegum and had cartoon characters like Dora the Explorer on them. I guess your kids are supposed to get so excited about all the flavors that you accidentally come home with eight pounds of them. I used Starlight mints instead.


Why did you take the cookies outside? WHY DID YOU TAKE THE COOKIES OUTSIDE?

Chocolate Peppermint Gingerbread Cookies

An easy way to measure the margarine is to pour the 1/4 cup of canola oil in a liquid measuring cup and add margarine by the spoonful until they both total 1/2 cup. To crush the mints or candy canes, unwrap them and put them in a sandwich-sized zippered plastic bag. Squeeze the air out and zip up the bag. Then, hit the mints with the back of a large knife until they're crushed to your desired size.

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine

1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

4 tablespoons sugar, divided

6 ounces chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup crushed peppermints or candy canes

Measure the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and add to a medium bowl. Stir together.

Beat canola oil, margarine, molasses and 2 tablespoons sugar on medium until creamy. Turn the mixer to low and add large spoons of the flour mixture. Beat until just blended (In order to avoid over-mixing the dough, thereby releasing the gluten in the flour and making the cookies tough, I usually finish stirring in the flour by hand.) Stir in chocolate chips, pecans and crushed peppermints.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Oil two large baking sheets. Spoon the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar into a small bowl. Cut the dough into 24 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, flatten slightly, dip the sugar and place on a baking sheet, sugared side up. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies have crinkled and they smell like gingerbread.

Makes 24.

Melomakarona - Greek Spice Cookies

2011-12-14T18:48:00.000-06:00

I've been on a bit of a Greek food kick lately. After making Moussaka and Spanakopita, I was browsing the web looking for new Greek recipes, and I came across a recipe for melomakarona, popular in Greece during holidays. Plain little cookies reminiscent of shortbread are dipped in a rich, spiced syrup and topped with walnuts. I followed the recipe from About.com, but I took a few tweaks from a recipe in The Washington Post. The only veganizing I had to do was to replace the honey with agave nectar. I also cut the recipe in half.

The recipe warns not to refrigerate the cookies as they'll get hard, so after we scarfed down half of them, I hid the rest away in an airtight container in the pantry for Christmas weekend.

Melomakarona

The cookies:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon (packed) orange zest

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons brandy

3-1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Oil two large baking sheets. Beat the olive oil, canola oil, sugar and orange zest in an electric mixer until well combined. Add the orange juice and brandy and beat until creamy.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Turn the electric mixer to the lowest setting and add the flour a heaping soup spoonful at a time. When the last of the flour has been added, turn off the machine and finish stirring in the flour by hand. Only stir until the flour is just combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Transfer the dough to a cutting board and cut into 4 pieces. Cut each fourth into 8 pieces for a total of 32 cookies. Roll each cookie into a ball and transfer to the baking sheets. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the dough slightly in a crosshatch pattern.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until just starting to brown at the edges. While the cookies are baking, make the syrup.

The syrup:

1/2 cup agave nectar

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 1-inch piece cinnamon

2 whole cloves

1 1-inch piece lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

In a medium saucepan, combine the agave nectar, sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon, cloves and lemon peel and discard.

When the cookies come out of the oven, allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Then use a spatula to transfer 6 or so cookies to the syrup. Allow the cookies to soak up the syrup for 2 or 3 minutes and then transfer to a plate. Once all of the cookies have been doused in syrup, top with the walnuts and a few pinches of cinnamon.

Makes 32.

Baked Corn Pudding with Spinach and Green Chilies

2011-12-10T20:53:00.000-06:00

This was supposed to be spoon bread. But I forgot to divide by two.

You see, spoon bread is typically made by cooking cornmeal in boiling water or scalded milk and blending with eggs to bake up something like a soufflé. I planned to use tofu instead of eggs. The recipes I was using as a guide called for between 3 and 5 eggs, which would be about 8 ounces of tofu. Somewhere in writing up the recipe, I made a math mistake and ended up using the whole block.

Sometimes when I cook I feel like Michael Bolton in the movie Office Space. "I must've put a decimal in the wrong place or something... I always mess up some mundane detail." Only in this case, instead of committing a very obvious fraud, I made an incredibly rich pudding! While it wasn't what I was expecting, by the second bite, I was crazy for it. The pudding gets better after it stands out of the oven for 20 minutes or so and is even better reheated the next day. This also makes a stellar breakfast.

The chilies aren't distinct here but they provide a welcome warming note. I'd suggest if you don't want to use them, to include a 4 ounce jar of pimientos or 1/2 cup diced roasted red bell pepper in their place. Since the spinach is fresh, it gives off a good bit of water into the pudding while it bakes. Thus, if you substitute frozen, thawed spinach, don't squeeze it dry.

Baked Corn Pudding with Spinach and Green Chilies

1 cup cornmeal

1-1/2 cups water

3/4 cup soy creamer or other non-diary milk, divided

4 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 14 to 16-ounce package firm tofu

1 cup corn, frozen okay

1 bunch spinach, trimmed and chopped, about 8 ounces

1 4-ounce can mild roasted, diced chilies

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil a 3-quart casserole dish. In a medium saucepan, stir together the cornmeal, water and 1/2 cup of the creamer or milk. Cook, stirring frequently with a wire whisk, over medium heat until mixture thickens. Whisk in margarine. Transfer to a large bowl.

Chop the garlic in a food processor. Add tofu, corn, and the remaining 1/4 cup creamer. Process until smooth. Stir into the cornmeal mixture with a large spoon. Add the spinach, roasted chilies, baking powder, salt and white pepper. Mix well; this will take more effort than you probably expect. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes until crispy and firm at the edges - the middle will still be a bit jiggly. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 5 main dish servings or 10 sides.

Vegan Spanakopita

2011-12-05T15:16:00.004-06:00

Cheesecake pans aren't just for cheesecakes.

That's probably why they're not officially called "cheesecake pans" but rather springform pans. Still, I've always thought of them as cheesecake pans and it never occurred to me to make anything else in them. Then I came across a fillo and cheese pie that the chef had made in a springform pan and thought the idea was perfect for spanakopita. The pie is stunning when the ring is popped off. It's also easier to make one big pie as opposed to all those little triangles.

Another trick to make assembling a spanakopita easier is to fold each fillo sheet into quarters before fitting it into the pan. It's much less likely to tear or crumple up on itself this way. Also, did you know that you don't need to thoroughly coat each sheet with oil or butter? A quick and uneven application of olive oil with a pastry brush, not much more than a swirl really, is all that is needed.

This spanokopita gets its rich and creamy component from cashew nuts blended with lemon juice, salt and garlic. Assembled with herbed spinach and crispy layers of fillo, the pie makes a perfect meal paired with roasted potatoes and a green salad.


The first sheet of fillo in the pan.


The bottom layer.

The top layer and the filling.


A perfect slice.

Vegan Spanakopita

This recipe assumes you have fillo dough with 40 sheets to a 1 pound box. Some fillo comes 24 to 28 sheets to a pound. If you have this kind, use about 9 sheets total for the bottom layer and 6 for the top one.

2 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach
1 cup raw cashews
6 green onions, green and white part
5-6 cloves garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing fillo dough
1-1/4 teaspoons dried dill
1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
about half of a 1-pound box of fillo dough

Thaw spinach and squeeze it very dry. Transfer to a medium bowl. In a food processor, grind cashews to a powder. Slice green onions into 2-inch lengths, add to the cashews along with the garlic, and chop well. Add lemon juice, olive oil, dill, oregano and salt and process until creamy, but not completely smooth. Stir cashew mixture into the spinach.

Heat oven to 350 F. Oil a 9-inch springform pan. Have a small bowl of olive oil and a pastry brush at hand. Work with one sheet of fillo dough at a time and cover the rest with a piece of plastic wrap or a damp towel.

Place a sheet of fillo dough in front of you. Brush 1/2 lightly with olive oil - just a quick swirl. Fold sheet in half and brush half with olive oil. Fold in half again. Pick up the piece by diagonal corners and fit the corners along the bottom edge of the pan, so that one triangle extends along the bottom of the pan and another extends up the side. Fold another sheet into fourths and fit in the pan opposite the first. Repeat with 9 or 10 more sheets, placing them around the pan in even intervals, more or less, for a total of 11 or 12 sheets. Finish with two sheets, folded into fourths, placed in the bottom of the pan.

For the top layer, fold the fillo just as you did for the bottom, but place the diagonal corners of each folded sheet along the top rim of the pan. Use 8 sheets total. Spoon the spinach and cashew mixture into the pan and smooth the top. Place a folded sheet of fillo on top of the spinach and then fold all of the edges of the other sheets over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove ring from the spanakopita and slice into 6 slices.

Serves 6.

Aloo Paratha

2011-11-26T17:08:00.000-06:00

Late fall and winter are potato season at our house. The reason is simple: during most of the year, it's warm and humid enough in the kitchen even with the air conditioner running that potatoes sprout like mad, so I avoid stocking up on them. So when it cools down a bit, we have some pent up potato cravings. This is when I like to try new things with them, like these aloo paratha.

I've been wanting to make these for a while but was a little nervous about the technique. Then I found some excellent instructions on Holy Cow and felt like it was something I could do. I tore the first two (but I was still able to cook them) and then I got the hang of it. We had these with this curried lentil and squash soup.

Aloo Paratha

Make the dough first and let it rest while you prepare the potatoes.

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon canola oil

Water to make dough (I used 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)

3 medium russet potatoes, about 1 pound

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

1 teaspoon spices of your choice (see note)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Knead the flour, salt, oil and water together to make a smooth dough. (I used my stand mixer and kneaded for 3 minutes.) Set aside.

Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. In a medium saucepan, cover the potato pieces with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potato is fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl, and mash well. Add the cilantro, spices, salt and turmeric and mash again. You want the potatoes to be completely smooth so that there are no lumps to tear the dough. Let the mixture cool enough to handle.

Divide dough into 6 portions. Divide potatoes into 6 portions. Have a small bowl handy with a couple of tablespoons of flour in it.

Scatter a teaspoon or so of flour on your work surface. Roll a portion of dough into a ball on your work surface. Roll out to about 4 inches in diameter, not too big. With your hands, press a portion of the potatoes into a ball and place in the center of the dough. Stretch the sides of the dough over the top of the potato ball and pinch closed. Cup the ball in your hands and press the dough evenly around the potato. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough gently into a 6 or 7 inch disk, stopping to flour the dough when necessary to keep it from sticking. Don't try to roll the paratha too large, as this is when you risk tearing the dough.

Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, to medium-high. Cook the parathas one at a time for about 3 minutes a side, or until they start to get toasty browned spots on them.

Serves 6.

Note: I used a teaspoon of this curry leaf powder - probably not authentic in aloo paratha, but delicious nonetheless. Other possibilities are a cumin, coriander, chili powder, garam masala or a blend of a couple of them.

Triple-Chocolate Carrot Brownies

2011-11-12T14:16:00.000-06:00

My second favorite episode of the TV show The Simpsons is Lisa the Vegetarian. In one especially funny scene, her classmates tease Lisa by asking her if she's going to marry a carrot. She sighs and answers sarcastically, "Yes, I'm going to marry a carrot." Her classmates miss the sarcasm and exclaim gleefully "Ohh! She admitted it!"

At my last office job, I was also teased for being a vegetarian. (I try to keep it low key, but you can't hide being a vegetarian from your coworkers for long.) One day out of exasperation with being asked the same annoying question once again, I replied, "Yes, I'm going to marry a carrot when I grow up."

That turned out to be the right thing to say! Half the office were big Simpsons fans, everyone laughed, and now I had an answer for all those hard-to-answer questions. "What do you eat at Thanksgiving?" "Carrots!" "How did you figure that problem out?" "Carrots!" "Are you going to work overtime this week?" "Carrots!"

If you make these brownies and someone asks you why they're so awesome, you have your answer. Carrots! Carrots stand in for some of the oil, some of the sugar, and even the eggs. Because you puree them in the blender with water and oil, the carrots create an emulsion that gives these a rich, fudgy texture that I didn't know was possible with a vegan brownie. I'm going to experiment with using carrots (and baking powder) in a boxed mix and see if it's possible to make those deliciously without eggs. (If you substitute a commercial egg replacer in most boxed mixes and many scratch recipes, you end up with greasy bricks.) I also want to experiment with another scratch recipe or two and see if I can come up with a formula for using carrots and baking powder in place of eggs in any recipe.

All together now: "Carrots!"

Triple-Chocolate Carrot Brownies

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks, about 6 ounces

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, about 3 ounces

Preheat oven to 350. Oil an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.

Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to a medium bowl and mix together with a fork.

Grind the unsweetened chocolate to a powder in the blender. Add the water, canola oil, and carrots. Puree until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer to the baking pan and smooth out the top of the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the center is set. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting into pieces.

Vegan Moussaka

2011-11-07T14:52:00.001-06:00

This is adapted from a Greek recipe that has meat and cheese in it. I used to use store-bought burger crumbles for the meat, but I wanted to make a version without the heavily processed ingredients. I was going to experiment with a mixture of lentils and mushrooms for the burger crumbles and then I saw the cauliflower and walnut "meat" that Ricki made on Diet Dessert and Dogs for her lasagna recipe. This meat stand-in is quite ingenious: it looks like burger and adds a rich umami flavor to your casserole. It was delicious plain right out of the oven, which is always a good sign. I will definitely be using this again. Next step will be to replace the soy cream cheese with something whole and less processed - cashew nuts, maybe.

This moussaka has quite a few steps to it, but after the work you will be rewarded with melt-in-your-mouth comfort food. It will be worth the effort, I promise.

Vegan Moussaka

Any of the components - roasted eggplant slices, tomato sauce, burger crumbles, and white sauce - can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to a day. The burger crumbles can also be frozen, as can the completed moussaka.

1 large eggplant, about 1-1/3 pounds

Olive oil

1 small yellow onion, minced, about 1 cup

1 clove garlic, minced

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/3 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Scant 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Scant 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups Cauliflower-walnut burger crumbles (see below)

3 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup soy milk

1/3 cup white wine (more Pinot Grigio)

1/4 cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (or other vegan cream cheese)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice eggplant in 1/4-inch slices. Brush a large baking pan with olive oil and add the eggplant slices in a single layer. Brush the tops of the eggplant slices lightly with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes. Test the slices for tenderness by piercing the center with a fork; remove the very tender slices to a plate. Turn over the remaining slices and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until fork-tender. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Sauté the onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, salt, cinnamon, allspice and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.

Oil a large casserole. Reserve 6 large eggplant slices to top the moussaka. Spread about 1/4 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of the casserole. Top with 1 cup of burger crumbles and half the remaining tomato sauce. Distribute the non-reserved eggplant slices on top. Repeat with the remaining burger crumbles, tomato sauce and six reserved eggplant slices.

Heat oven to 350 F. Melt margarine in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy milk until well blended. Put the pan back on the burner and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens. Add wine, cream cheese, nutmeg and salt and stir until cheese melts. Spoon the sauce on top of the moussaka and top with the bread crumbs. Bake for 40 minutes until dish is bubbly.

Serves 6.

Cauliflower-Walnut Burger Crumbles

Adapted from Diet Dessert and Dogs. My version makes more than the original because I had a big cauliflower.

1 head cauliflower, trimmed into florets, about 1-1/3 pounds after trimming

2-2/3 cups walnuts (I used 2 cups walnuts and the rest sunflower seeds

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sage

1/4 teaspoon thyme

2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a large jelly-roll pan or baking sheet with sides.

Use a food processor to mince the cauliflower, nuts and garlic. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in paprika, salt, sage, thyme, olive oil and soy sauce. Spread mixture evenly on the pan. (This is easiest using two forks held in both hands upside-down.)

Bake for 30 minutes, then turn mixture over using a spatula and spread back out evenly. Bake for another 15 minutes and turn. Continue baking and turning each 15 minutes until mixture is evenly brown and mostly dry (this took me an hour total). Be careful not to over cook.

Makes about 4 cups.

Whole Wheat and Oat Beer Bread

2011-11-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

My beer bread can drink more beer than your beer bread.

It's true! I owe it all to the whole-grain flour. An old-school beer bread made with white flour has a ratio of 3 cups of flour to a 12-ounce bottle of beer, while this one has 2 cups flour to a bottle of beer. The oatmeal flour in this has a special affinity for the beer. I think my Scottish and my German ancestors would be proud.

Don't worry, the alcohol in the beer cooks off, leaving you with a sweet, rich bread that's perfect for fall soups and chilies.

The best beer for this is one that's rich and mild, such as a Bock or Stout. Lager works well, too. Just save the bitter, hoppy beers like India Pale Ale for drinking.

Whole Wheat and Oat Beer Bread

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup oatmeal flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons coconut oil or margarine, melted

1 12-ounce bottle of beer

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the pastry flour, oatmeal flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add melted coconut oil or margarine and beer. Stir until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the beer, but do not over stir. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick or knife pushed deep into the bread comes out clean.

Serves 4.

Roasted Green Chili Hot Sauce and Salsa Verde

2011-10-28T19:36:00.000-05:00

When my friend Melissa sent me a link to her favorite hot sauce recipe, I realized I had never made any. How could I have a blog named after a pepper and never have made my own hot sauce? I needed to rectify this situation.

Since this was the first time I had made hot sauce I didn't play with the original recipe much. I varied the peppers a bit; I'm not a banana pepper fan so I used caribes and since they're wicked hot (at least the ones I get)I balanced them with a mild Anaheim. Also, since I often find vinegar overwhelming, I used the mildest vinegars I had- rice and red wine - and replaced 1/3 of the vinegar with water.

Chandelle, the author of the original recipe, has some great tips about dealing with hot peppers. For example, did you know that capsaicin, the chemical that makes peppers hot, dissolves in oil? That means if your hands start burning, you can scrub them well with some handy cooking oil and that should take care of the worst of the heat. She also suggests rubbing down your knife and hands with oil before you cut the peppers, wearing gloves and tying a cloth over your mouth and nose. I didn't do any of that, but I do suggest at a minimum that you lay a piece of plastic wrap across the hand that holds the peppers as you work with them. Even if you have no trouble cutting up a couple of peppers, you are bound to work a good bit of capsaicin into a bare hand after processing a whole pound of them. As for protecting your face, keep it out of the steam rising from any freshly-cooked peppers and you should be good. Fans and open windows in your kitchen help also.

Roasting the peppers really adds flavor to this sauce. After letting it sit for an hour or longer the flavors meld so that the first thing you taste is sweetness, then rich roasted peppers, and finally the heat sneaks in at the end; not too much, not too little.

Jim came home and said "Great, hot sauce! Do we have any chips?" I told him that it was the wrong kind of hot sauce - it wasn't salsa, it was the kind of sauce you used in tiny amounts. But I needed to go back to the store anyway, so I bought more ingredients to turn some of the hot sauce into salsa, and of course, some chips.

The salsa is quite tangy. After we had our fill of it with tortilla chips, I put it in the freezer. I plan to use it to top enchiladas, like these.

Roasted Green Chili Hot Sauce

1 pound medium-hot green peppers or a mix of hot and mild ones

2/3 cup mild vinegar, such as rice vinegar, or red or white wine vinegar

1/3 cup water

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

Slice the stems from the peppers. Slit the peppers lengthwise. Use a small spoon to remove all or most of the seeds from the peppers. (This is where you will want to cover the hand holding the peppers in plastic wrap.)

Place the peppers skin-side up on a baking tray. Place your oven rack in its top-most position and turn the oven to broil. Broil the peppers for about 4 minutes until they start to blister. Turn the tray around and broil for another 3-5 minutes until peppers are evenly blistered and starting to blacken. Remove from the oven and cover the tray lightly with wax paper or a dish towel. Let peppers cool for 10 minutes or more.

Peel as much of the skin from the peppers as you can. Puree in the blender with the vinegar, water, garlic and salt.

Makes about 2 cups.

Roasted Chili Salsa Verde

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion (I used a red one)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 pound tomatillos, diced

1 cup Roasted Green Chili Hot Sauce, above

3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Heat olive oil in a medium pot. Sauté onion until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for a minute. Add the tomatillos, chili sauce and salt. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Let cool and stir in cilantro.

Makes about 2 cups.

Bean Hominy and Chipotle Soup

2011-10-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

I don't cook in large amounts usually, so I often end up with various leftover ingredients in my freezer. When their quantity becomes overwhelming, I make a list of them and figure out how I can use them up in just a few dishes. When I made such a list last week, I had five kinds of beans and peas back there, as well as some hominy. The obvious thing to do was to make bean soup.

Once I made the soup, I was on a roll. During the rest of the week, I stretched a couple of servings of Coconut Curry with Purple Hull Peas to make more with some potato, water, cornstarch, salt and garam masala, and had the curry with rice and Gobi Manchurian. I used my found bag of mango (Why did I buy this?) and made mango Margaritas. Finally, I turned about a serving and a half of mushroom soup into gravy with a roux of flour, oil and salt, and made use of some frozen tofu, lima beans and puff pastry that were languishing in the freezer; the ingredients became pot pie.

I was so proud of my empty freezer that I took pictures of it. It never looks like this!

You can see the bottom!


The door even is empty.

I am still on a spicy food kick (more than usual), so I added chipotle pepper puree to the soup. (The puree is made by combining the contents of a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor. Then you can store the rest in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a year.) You might think cumin would be a natural spice for this soup, and I would agree, but I left it out this time. Sometimes it's better not to put every ingredient in every dish possible - that way everything you cook doesn't end up tasting alike.

Bean Hominy and Chipotle Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced, about 1 cup

2 stalks celery, diced, about 1 cup

2 carrots, diced, about 1 cup

1 medium zucchini, diced, about 1 cup

1/3 red bell pepper, diced, about 1/2 cup

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups of cooked beans or peas, any variety*

1 cup cooked hominy

1 14.5-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomato

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

6 cups vegetable broth or water

1 to 3 tablespoons chipotle puree

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon oregano

Juice of 1 lime, about 1-1/2 tablespoons

Salt to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onion, celery, carrots, zucchini and red bell pepper until the vegetables become tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes.

Serves about 6.

*My beans consisted of 1 cup purple hull peas and 3/4 cup each chick peas, cannellini beans, lima beans and edamame.

Walnut Lentil Pâté

2011-10-17T21:15:00.001-05:00

There is a terrific vegetarian pâté - Bonavita - that I like to buy if we're going on a trip. It's especially nice for snacks on a plane flight, because it doesn't smell strong and it keeps for a couple of hours after you open it. When my son was small, he loved it so much that he could eat a whole can by himself at a sitting. But at almost $6 for a 4.4 ounce can, it's expensive.

I made it my goal to find a homemade pâté that we like just as much. At first I tried recipes that had the same ingredients as the commercial pâté, but then I came across this one on the internet, originally from Louis Lanza's Totally Dairy Free Cooking. It turned out to be the best one of the bunch. The recipe welcomes substitutions; I usually use the inexpensive brown lentils, but French du puy lentils work, as do the red ones (just cook those less). The lemon juice was originally ume plum paste, so use that or ume vinegar if you have some, but lemon juice is fine, too. The only ingredient you don't want to substitute for is the fresh basil. The pâté also freezes well and is a great addition to a holiday menu.

I am entering this in House Favorites: Vegan, and My Legume Love Affair, hosted this month by Suma at Veggie Platter. I am also linking it up with the Hearth 'n' Soul blog hop.

Walnut Lentil Pâté

1 cup lentils

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 shallot, diced, 2 or 3 tablespoons

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh basil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons miso

3 tablespoons olive oil

Bring lentils, water and bay leaf to a low boil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the water.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss mushroom slices and diced shallot with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet for 15 minutes.

Spread walnuts on another baking pan and toast for 5 minutes.

In a food processor, combine lentils, mushroom mixture, walnuts, basil, lemon juice, miso and olive oil. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add some of the lentil cooking water if the mixture becomes too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Grilled Seitan and Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

2011-10-12T00:10:00.002-05:00

It is cool enough here finally to grill outdoors again, yay! I inaugurated the fall grilling season with some seitanmarinated in peanut sauce last weekend. The peanut sauce was from a package, so there is no recipe for the sauce. In fact, I just threw this together at the last minute and wasn't planning on blogging about it, but the vegetables were so good, I wanted to record what I did so that I can make them exactly the same way again. Since I didn't take a photo of the finished dish, you'll also have to do with a photo of the smoky chimney and your imagination as to how pretty the vegetables were.

I'm sending the photo to Black and White Wednesdays, hosted by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

Grilled Seitan and Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

8 ounces seitan

2 cups prepared peanut sauce

8 ounces green beans, trimmed and sliced in half

1 medium zucchini, about 8 ounces, sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons mirin

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons sriracha sauce or other hot sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

A 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

Cooked rice to serve, from 1 cup raw rice

Slice seitan into 1/8-inch slices or as thinly as you can. In a medium bowl, gently toss the seitan with 1 cup peanut sauce. Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the remaining ingredients, soy sauce through ginger. Set aside in the refrigerator. Turn over the seitan and vegetables at least once before grilling.

Heat coals in an outdoor grill. Toss vegetables in the marinade one more time and then drain. Grill in a grill pan until tender and starting to blacken, about 10 minutes. (If your coals are not super-hot, you might need to close the lid for part of the time.)

Push the vegetables to a cool side of the grill pan and add the seitan slices. Cook until the bottom is dry, then flip the slices and cook until the other side is dry.

Serve the vegetables and seitan with the rice and remaining peanut sauce.

Serves 3.

Hominy-Soyrizo Stuffed Poblanos

2011-10-07T17:18:00.000-05:00

I have been craving spicy foods lately, even more than usual. I've made something spicy for nearly every meal the last week or two. These stuffed peppers are something I've been meaning to try for a while. Now seemed like the perfect time, seeing as how I'm in the middle of a craving. Once the peppers are roasted, these go together quickly. Rice or beans (or both!) makes this a meal. I couldn't resist adding a big glug of this hot sauce to some black beans for a side dish.

Hominy-Soyrizo Stuffed Poblanos

1 pound poblano peppers (about 4)

6 ounces (1/2 package) soy chorizo (aka Soyrizo)

1/2 (15.5 ounce) can golden hominy, drained, about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Turn oven on to broil. Put one oven rack in the topmost position and place a second rack just below. Put a large pan on the lower rack to catch the drips. Place the peppers directly on the top rack and broil until the skin is thoroughly blistered and beginning to blacken. Turn the peppers with tongs to blister all the sides. Remove from the oven and wrap loosely in wax paper, or place in a paper bag to cool slightly. The steam from the cooling peppers will loosen the skin and make them easier to peel.

Peel as much of the blistered skin from the each pepper as you can. Use a small knife to cut around the stem and slit the pepper lengthwise. Remove the stem and most of the seeds, then open up and flatten the pepper. Rinse or wipe the remaining seeds the pepper.

Heat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl, mash the soyrizo and stir in the hominy. Divide the mixture among the peppers and fold them up over the filling. Transfer the peppers to a baking pan (I used the same one that I put under the peppers earlier.) Bake until the filling is heated through, about 12 minutes.

Serves 4.

House Favorites: Vegan - September Wrap Up

2011-10-03T17:48:00.002-05:00

It's a short but savory wrap-up this month. As the last of summer weather wound down last month we turned to dishes to showcase the best of the harvest.

Growing up, Deepika of My Life & Spice called eggplants baingan or in English, brinjal. It was hard for her to start calling them eggplant when the typical large purple ones don't look at all like an egg. One of her favorite ways to prepare them is roasted and mashed in Baingan Ka Bharta. Whatever you want to call it, it's always delicious.

Caffettiera of La Caffettiera Rosa was too busy this summer for the lazy days and outdoor activities that usually mean the hot season, but she did get a chance to cook some favorite, summery food, which is the next best thing. After finding some lovely tomatoes, she made a favorite of her mum's, Pomodori Repieni, or Bread, Tomato and Olive Oil.

Every summer, I look for fresh purple hull peas in the market. They're creamy cousins of black-eyed peas that are only for sale for a brief time. This time, I used my bounty to make Purple Hull Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce.

Thanks for your entries! I am looking forward to seeing everyone's favorites in the cooler months ahead. It's almost time to start thinking about holiday recipes, isn't it?

Bread, but no sandwiches

2011-10-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

Do you remember when I announced my sandwich cookbook a couple of months ago? I made great progress on it. At last count, I have completed over thirty-five recipe with only minor rewriting needed and had a good start on writing the supporting material as well. I also have nearly a hundred and fifty items in my idea file.

Well, someone beat me to it. Two someones, actually, both published cookbook authors to boot. They announced that they are co-authoring a sandwich cookbook a month after I announced mine, but it seems that they have been working on it together for a while. They already have a publisher even, while I haven't looked for one yet. I just don't see how the market could support two vegan sandwich cookbooks coming out at the same time, so I am postponing mine.

I'm not giving up on writing a cook book, though, and I'm already at work on something new. It's more of a general-purpose vegan cookbook with a twist to make it stand out from the crowd. As soon as I've done a bit more research and recipe experimentation and can narrow down my focus somewhat, I'll announce the details. I'm a little bit relieved, actually, as I was getting nervous about writing a specialty cookbook when no one knows who I am. I was beginning to think that I should have started with something more general-purpose, which the new one I'm working on will be.

This is some bread I made for the book. You might have already seen the picture of it I posted for Black and White Wednesday. I was impressed with its light texture and how high it rose. I included it in a sandwich called The TLC, made from baked marinated tofu, lettuce and carrots, and finished off with agave dijonaise. I wanted the bread to have a neutral taste, so I used agave nectar and canola oil in it, as opposed to molasses and olive oil. This is good to make when you need bread that doesn't dominate the flavor of your sandwich. It also made wonderful French toast.

Light Bread

2 cups white bread flour, divided

2 cups white wheat flour

2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1-3/4 cups warm water (about 105 F)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons agave nectar

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Measure flour and vital wheat gluten into a medium bowl and whisk together with a fork. Add water and yeast to a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with dough hooks. Scoop up about a cup and a half of the flour mixture and add it to the water and yeast. Set aside the remaining flour. Combine the water-yeast-flour mixture well with a fork, cover, and let stand for an hour or more. This sponge will bubble up and expand.

Add the olive oil, molasses and salt to the sponge and whisk in with a fork. Add the remaining flour a cup at a time. If you plan to knead by hand, use a large wooden spoon to work the flour into the dough. Then, turn the dough out into a large cutting board and knead for 10 minutes. If you are kneading with a stand mixer, start the mixer and let it run while you add the flour. You may need to stop the machine once or twice and work some of the flour into the dough with a spoon. Once the flour is incorporated, let the machine knead the dough for 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to an oiled, medium-sized bowl. (This can be the bowl that you measured the flour and wheat gluten into earlier.) Cover and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for an hour, until doubled in size.

Oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Shape dough to fit the pan. Cover and allow to rise again until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 350 F, and bake bread for about 30 minutes.

To test your bread for doneness, turn the loaf out of the pan and rap sharply on the bottom with your knuckles; your loaf should sound hollow. If it doesn't make a sound, bake a little longer.

When bread has cooled, slice with a serrated knife as thinly as you can. You should be able to get about 14-15 slices.

House Favorites: Vegan - October Announcement

2011-10-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

As food bloggers, sometimes we get so caught up in trying new things that we forget about the dishes that we make all the time. These are the recipes we make repeatedly for house guests and potlucks. The ones our families won't let us skip on the holidays. Our beloved signature dishes. Our house favorites.

What are your house favorites? This is a monthly blog event where you can show them off. It will run from the first day of the month to the last. I'll have a writeup of all the entries by the fifth of the following month. The rules are simple:

1. Your dish needs to be vegan. This means no meat, fish, dairy, honey or their derivatives.

2. You should have made this at least three times and consider the recipe "finished." Any course is welcome, from appetizers to desserts. Variations on your favorite dishes are welcome.

3. In your blog post, please mention House Favorites: Vegan, and link to my main page: http://chezcayenne.blogspot.com.

4. Use Mr. Linky at the end of the monthly announcement to enter your post.

Of course older posts are welcome, but please limit your entries of older posts to one a month, or reblog about them during the current month to enter more. There is no limit to the recipes you've blogged about during the current month.

Feel free to enter your House Favorites: Vegan entries in other blog events.

You are welcome to use either of the logos here, but it's not required.

If you have a recipe that's not vegan, but you can veganize it without changing the character of the recipe much, blog about your vegan version and send it in - there's no need to make the vegan version three times. If a vegan ingredient is an option, make sure that you mention it in the ingredients list and instructions. (e.g. Your ingredients list can say something like 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil and your instructions say heat butter or olive oil.)

Non-food bloggers can participate too. Do you have a favorite message board that welcomes vegan recipes with photos? Post your recipe, a photo and a link back to my main page on the message board. Then use Mr. Linky and leave a comment here.

White Russian Cupcakes and What The F*@# Should I Make for Dinner?

2011-09-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

We just got back from the best vacation ever. We flew to Los Angeles, spent a couple of days in Southern California, then spent another couple of days driving up the coast to San Francisco. We turned in our rental car, spent a few days seeing the sights in San Francisco, then took an Amtrak train back to LA. If you ever get a chance to do a trip like this, you won't regret it.

I was back at home this week making a grocery list and the vacation seemed to have cleared my head a little too well. I wanted to buy groceries for at least five meals but I could only think of two meals to make. So I typed "what should I make for dinner" into Google and found a hilarious and useful website, called, yep, What The F*@# Should I Make for Dinner? With all the F-bombs I thought it was just a novelty at first, but after only three minutes I had more than enough ideas to finish my grocery list. There's a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian section, but I found a couple of my ideas on the non-veg part, so both are worth exploring. The ideas also click over to recipes, but this week, I'm cooking from my own - I just needed the ideas.

Next time I want a cupcake recipe for someone's birthday, though, I won't need to type "What the F*@# Should I Make for Dessert" into Google, because I am making these again. They were for Jim's birthday a couple of weeks ago and were so good. I found the recipe on MidwestVeg. A new cooking goal is to learn to decorate cupcakes to be as pretty as hers.

I made these a little bit differently than she did by using golden flax seeds as an egg replacer and halving the vodka, as I didn't think it was necessary. I also made only half the buttercream frosting, which was plenty.

White Russian Cupcakes

6 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

1 tablespoon golden flax seed, ground in the blender

3 tablespoons water

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vodka

4 tablespoons Kahlua, divided

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners.

With an electric mixer, beat together the margarine, flax seed and water on medium-high speed until the mixture is creamy. Add sugar, vodka and 2 tablespoons Kahlua and beat well, letting the mixer run until the mixture is very creamy and light.

Before measuring the flour, fluff it up in your container with a large spoon. Carefully spoon the flour into measuring cups and use a knife to level the top. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the baking powder and salt, and stir them together.

Add about a third of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until mostly blended. Repeat with the remaining thirds of flour and milk. Once you begin adding the flour, don't overbeat the batter; I usually do the last bit of mixing by hand with a big spoon.

Divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake for 16-20 minutes. The cupcakes are done when the top springs back after you press lightly.

While the cupcakes are warm, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of Kahlua over the top (1/2 teaspoon per cupcake.) Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them with:

Kahlua Buttercream Frosting

4 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

About 2 tablespoons Kahlua

Beat the margarine, powdered sugar and salt together on medium-high speed until creamy. Add Kahlua a bit at a time until desired consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Purple Hull Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce

2011-09-15T14:22:00.000-05:00

Every year in the summer, fresh purple hull peas appear in farmer's markets and a few supermarkets. They are related to black-eyed peas and look like them, except that they have a purple patch instead of a black "eye." They're also milder and creamier. My two favorite things to do with them are to use them in a simple salad like this one, or to put them in a curry. I'm not sure where I got this curry recipe. All I remember about it is that originally it had chicken in it. I imagine that after replacing the chicken with purple hull peas, I can now claim it as my own creation!

This is my entry for House Favorites this month.

Purple Hull Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce

1-2/3 cup fresh purple hull or black-eyed peas (or a 15.5-ounce can)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup onion, diced small

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 or 3 jalapeños, minced

1 sprig curry leaves, cut into thin strips

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon garma masala

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup tomato puree (I used an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon amchoor powder

1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut

Rinse the peas and transfer to a small sauce pan. Add just enough water to cover the peas. Bring to a low boil, then simmer until they reach your desired tenderness, about 10-15 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet to medium high. Sauté the onion for a minute or two until it's starting to become translucent, then turn down the heat to low. Continue to cook until the onion is tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium and add the garlic, ginger, jalapeño and curry leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili powder and salt. Cook for a minute.

Add the coconut milk, tomato puree and peas with their cooking liquid. Heat through. Add the amchoor powder and coconut and cook over low until mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

Serves 4.

House Favorites: Vegan - August Wrap Up

2011-09-10T14:54:00.001-05:00

This month we were all about veganizing typically meaty and dairy-laden dishes and making them even better than the originals. We're also trying new ingredients in familiar dishes, and, as always, making old favorites.

Kelly of Vegan Ventures in Cuisine slow cooks portobello mushrooms and blends creamy cannellini beans with seasonings to make lip-smaking Portobello Barbacoa and Smokey Queso Spread.

At Tadka Pasta, R&R bring out new textures from mushrooms by roasting them and then infusing them with Indian spices to make Masala Mushroom Medley.

R&R also give us Green Chard Chutney, a new twist on a classic chutney recipe with green chard, peanuts and the perfect combination of spices.

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder becomes even tastier when Cathy of What Would Cathy Eat? forgoes the cream and bacon for roasted corn, almond milk and smoked paprika.

Vaishali of Ribbon's to Pasta's made Wheat Halwa with wheat instead of the usual ingredients, then finished the dish with rose flavor and petals, and pistachios.

Deepika at My Life & Spice has been making Chana Masala for so long she doesn't have to measure the ingredients, but she took the time to measure in order to help a coworker learn to cook the dish, and we all benefit.

I revisited one of the first Asian-style recipes I ever made, Broccoli Stir Fry with Almond Butter Sauce.

I also made another recent favorite, Green Curry Rice Bake.

Thank you so much for all of your tasty entries for August. I'm sorry this round up was a bit late. No excuses - I've just had a head full of bees lately. The announcement for this month's event did go up on time, however. I hope to see you all there!

Chocolate Sorbet

2011-09-08T22:58:00.001-05:00

Last week when the three-day Labor Day weekend was coming up, I realized I didn't have a food tradition for the holiday. For the Memorial Day weekend, I like to barbecue, and Independence Day weekend, I nearly always make peach cobbler, but at the end of the long, hot summer, it just never occurred to me to celebrate with food. This summer has been one of the hottest on record and whatever I cooked needed to involve lots of ice. So, I made frozen Margaritas (twice!), and tackled a new recipe for chocolate sorbet from Vegetarian Times.

Have you ever had ice cream with those little brownie pieces mixed in? This is like a scoop of the brownie by itself; it's super rich. As I was making it, I tasted the mixture and decided it was too bitter and added a good bit more sugar. (This was probably because instead of using dark chocolate bars I used less expensive, unsweetened chocolate made for baking) . The resulting sorbet was as sweet as a semi-sweet chocolate bar. I think chocolate ice cream is going to be our new Labor Day tradition!

Chocolate Sorbet

1-1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2-1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 ounces/200 grams unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (a food processor makes this easy)

(salt and ice for your ice cream maker - I always forget the salt!)

In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven, cook sugar over medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar has melted and darkened to a caramel color. This will take about 20 minutes.

Add lemon juice. This will cause the sugar to boil for a minute or two. Add boiling water and stir well until all of the sugar is dissolved. Add cocoa powder and salt.

Bring mixture to a low boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Blend with an immersion blender. Refrigerate sorbet mixture for several hours or overnight and freeze the container for your ice cream maker.

Follow your ice cream maker's instructions to make the sorbet.

Makes about 2 quarts.

For Black and White Wednesday

2011-09-07T10:16:00.001-05:00

These are some leek tops that I snapped on the way to the compost bin recently. So pretty, and so useless! This is going out to Black and White Wednesday, by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

I've been feeling a bit like a leek top since this weekend. First I sprayed no-stick spray all over my laptop. It's fine, but the next day, I dropped my food processor on the floor, upside down. It's a gonner. Then, I lost my cell phone not too long after that. It was logged in to my email, my Facebook account - everything. This is one reason I hang on to old things as long as I can because both the food processor and phone needed to be replaced anyway. Christmas is just coming a tiny bit early.

All this self-induced chaos means I'm behind on everything! I promise to get the House Favorites wrap-up done in the next couple of days and I have some posts of actual food soon too.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

2011-09-01T15:06:00.002-05:00

The first time I tasted Daiya vegan cheese, I thought its rich and creamy flavor would be perfect for making mac and cheese. I had half a package in my freezer left over from making enchiladas, so I gave it a try. I used the classic recipe from my old chocolate and gravy-stained Fannie Farmer Cookbook as a guide, a recipe that I've taken to family dinners and potlucks many times. The recipe starts with a white sauce in which you melt a rich cheese. The dish is then topped with bread crumbs and baked. It's the ultimate comfort food.

The macaroni and cheese was delicious, but I served it with a nut loaf. This was my first nut loaf and I didn't realize how filling they were. As a result, we ended up eating just a couple of bites of the mac and cheese each. We were looking forward to some leftovers, but then Tyler came home from work and ate the entire dish. No leftovers for you, parents!

I'm sending this to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this month by the creator of the event herself, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

7 ounce package elbow macaroni

1 slice bread (about 1 ounce)

3 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1-3/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Pinch cayenne (optional)

1/2 a package (4 ounces) Daiya vegan cheese, any flavor

Salt to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain, rinse (to prevent the pasta from sticking to itself) and set aside. Grind up bread in the blender to make crumbs and set aside. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish.

Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook for a minute. Take pan off heat, add milk, and whisk into the margarine and flour until there are no lumps. Put pan back on the heat and turn up to medium or medium high. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add paprika, cayenne and Daiya cheese. Cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir macaroni into the cheese sauce and transfer to the casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, until hot in the center, about 15 minutes. (You can make this earlier in the day and refrigerate until ready to cook. Straight from the refrigerator, this will take about 45 minutes.)

Serves 4 as a side or 1 hungry teenager.

House Favorites: Vegan - September Announcement

2011-09-01T15:04:00.001-05:00

1. Your dish needs to be vegan. This means no meat, fish, dairy, honey or their derivatives.

2. You should have made this at least three times and consider the recipe "finished." Any course is welcome, from appetizers to desserts. Variations on your favorite dishes are welcome.

3. In your blog post, please mention House Favorites: Vegan, and link to my main page: http://chezcayenne.blogspot.com.

4. Use Mr. Linky at the end of the monthly announcement to enter your post.

Feel free to enter your House Favorites: Vegan entries in other blog events.

You are welcome to use either of the logos here, but it's not required.

Broccoli Stir Fry with Almond Butter Sauce

2011-08-22T18:28:00.000-05:00

Long ago, I had trouble getting started with Asian cooking. The only way I knew how to season a stir-fry was with lots of soy sauce, which made everything taste too salty. The store-bought sauces made things tastes just like the food at the mall (yuck), while purportedly authentic recipes called for so many condiments that weren't in my pantry that I wasn't sure I could afford to make the recipe. What I discovered that I disliked most of those ingredients I had just purchased?

When I found this recipe, and read the good reviews of the sauce, I jumped on it. Lemon juice and peanut butter? I can handle that! It was originally made from broccoli, noodles and sauce and I turned it into a stir-fry with extra vegetables. Also, I replace the peanut butter these days with almond butter if I have some handy. But the sauce is a keeper either way.

Since I've been making this, I've added lots of Asian ingredients to my pantry; rice vinegar and black rice vinegar, mirin, Sriracha sauce and toasted sesame oil are just the ones on hand right now, added one shopping trip at a time. But this recipe is still one I make from time to time.

This is my entry for House Favorites this month.

Broccoli Stir Fry with Almond Butter Sauce

1 medium head broccoli

1 small red bell pepper

6 ounces cremini mushrooms

2 medium leeks, white and light green part only

2 tablespoons almond butter

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon agave nectar

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger

Cut broccoli into florets, dice bell pepper into 1-1/2 inch pieces, slice mushrooms in half, and slice leeks.

Mix almond butter, soy sauce, sugar, water or broth, and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or a large sauté pan. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for a minute. Add broccoli and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and bell peppers and continue to cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, approximately 4 minutes.

Add almond butter mixture and stir into vegetables. Cook 1 minute. Serve with rice.

Serves 3.

Black and White Wednesday - Light Bread

2011-08-17T14:36:00.001-05:00

This is the bread I made Monday. It's probably the best bread I've ever baked. It rose so high! I'm sending this to Susan for Black and White Wednesday, the new event at her blog, The Well-Seasoned Cook. She started the event six weeks ago to showcase black and white food photography. I love the idea of shooting in black and white. Without the distraction of color, you can highlight light and texture to great effect. Like anything worth doing, though, black and white photography takes a bit of practice. It's taken me this long to capture an image I wanted to show off!

I apologize for the lack of a post last week; I made something new for the blog, but it was too meh to post. Do you ever find recipes that seem too good to be true, but you make them anyway? It was one of those. However, I'm making a House Favorite tonight - already on the blog, but I'll update the original post and enter it in this month's event - and another tomorrow, which I will definitely post as soon as I can.

Vegan Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

2011-08-04T16:49:00.001-05:00

There is no such thing as low fat shortbread. Since it's nothing more than flour, fat, and flavorings, there is nothing that you can cut. If you were to replace the fat with something else, say applesauce, you wouldn't be making shortbread. So, the goal becomes to use a healthy fat.

I've made shortbread cookies with 100% Earth Balance margarine and they were as good as ones made with butter. Some day I'd like to try well-chilled canola oil. This week, I took a middle approach and used half Earth Balance and half coconut oil. I think these are even better than the ones I made with all margarine.

If you've never had lemon and rosemary together in a dessert, you are in for a treat. The hint of rosemary plays off the lemon zest to create a more vibrant flavor than you would think possible in a little cookie. These are definitely not the same-old, same-old cookie. I've heard that shortbread keeps well for a week, but these won't last more than a day or two.

I am sending this to inaugural Cook.Eat.Delicious-Desserts! event, which this month is all about lemons. I'm also linking this up with Meatless Monday.

Vegan Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon packed lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 teaspoons lemon juice (from about 1/2 a lemon)

1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Combine all ingredients with a mixer on low speed until well-combined (mixture will be crumbly.) Press dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour.

Roll dough out to slightly less than 1/2-inch thick (about a centimeter). Cut into circles with a two-inch cookie or biscuit cutter. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet. Gather up the scraps and roll out again (chill the scraps in the freezer for a minute or two if they get too warm to roll.) Slip the baking sheets or sheets into the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges of the cookies just begin to brown.

Makes 20-22.

House Favorites: Vegan - July Wrap Up

2011-08-03T17:34:00.001-05:00

This month we've been trying to keep cool with drinks and slow cooker desserts that won't heat up the kitchen, enjoying savory fresh vegetables, taking extra time with delicious snacks, and at least one of us is warily keeping an eye out for summer storms.

Raven of Cook.Eat.Delicious! Is back with savory, umami Szechuan French Green Beans. She can eat a whole pan herself, and I bet I could, too.

Suvidha of Suvidha's Kitchen sends us Swiss Roll Cutlets, consisting of dough rolled in a spiral around a delicious spiced potato filling. These are good for a snack or breakfast.

"Ridiculously easy and nutritious" is how Kathy of Healthy Slow Cooking describes her Slow Cooker Vegan Kheer. This creamy breakfast is made with brown rice and non-dairy milk.

If the heat is too much for you, you need some Citrusy Sweet Tea, Y'all! R&R at Tadka Pasta take tea beyond ordinary with citrus and mild spices like cinnamon and star anise.

Finally, if you need to stock up on canned goods for potential power outages, my Emergency Pasta E Fagioli is a good recipe to shop for, and it's tasty enough for anytime.

After savoring these entries, I feel cooler and more refreshed already. Thanks everybody!

House Favorites: Vegan - August Announcement

2011-08-01T16:15:00.001-05:00

1. Your dish needs to be vegan. This means no meat, fish, dairy, honey or their derivatives.

2. You should have made this at least three times and consider the recipe "finished." Any course is welcome, from appetizers to desserts. Variations on your favorite dishes are welcome.

3. In your blog post, please mention House Favorites: Vegan, and link to my main page: http://chezcayenne.blogspot.com.

4. Use Mr. Linky at the end of the monthly announcement to enter your post.

Feel free to enter your House Favorites: Vegan entries in other blog events.

You are welcome to use either of the logos here, but it's not required.

Emergency Pasta e Fagioli

2011-07-28T19:28:00.001-05:00

I am keeping a wary eye on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico right now. If a storm is headed our way I want to know about it so that I can prepare. (Hello Don). Phase One, when a storm in the gulf actually becomes a hurricane, means making sure we have plenty of the normal supplies on hand, like peanut butter, cat food and gas in the cars. Phase Two, when we're in the projected landfall area of a hurricane, means buying food for actual meals that can be cooked without power. The odds that we'll actually be without power are pretty low, though - in 36 years of living on the coast, it's happened to me twice, and once just for a day. Some places haven't been so lucky in recent years; nevertheless, we're probably going to end up having to eat up the hurricane food as regular meals. So it only makes sense to stock up on ingredients for meals that we like all the time.

This soup is something that I make normally now and then with fresh onion, carrot and celery instead of the Veg-All, and either homemade marinara or the good stuff from a jar. But it's nearly as delicious made entirely from cans.

I am sitting here in the air conditioning, drinking some perfect-temperature red wine and assuming this will be another storm-free year. But if not, unlike when Ike hit us nearly three years ago, we'll be ready. And I appreciate the power right now nearly as much as I did when it came back on after Ike.

This is my entry for House Favorites this month.

Emergency Pasta e Fagioli

1 15 ounce/425 g can mixed vegetables, such as Veg-All, undrained

1 15.5 ounce/440 g can kidney beans, undrained

1 14.5 ounce/410 g can green beans, undrained

1 26 ounce/735 g can pasta sauce

1 cup water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup quick-cooking small pasta

Add the mixed vegetables, kidney beans, green beans and pasta sauce to a large pot. Add the water, bouillon cube, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook on high until pasta is al dente.

Serves 6.

Potato-Cheese Enchiladas

2011-07-21T18:41:00.001-05:00

This was the last recipe I made just before I decided to start writing the cookbook. Already I'm looking at the last pan of enchiladas in the freezer wistfully and thinking, "Remember when I made things other than sandwiches?"

Actually, the writing is going great. A little more than a week after starting I have eight recipes in the bag and only one that didn't work out. It's hard work, but I expected that. Only hard work is going to produce real results.

These enchiladas owe their brilliant red-orange color not to tomatoes or spices, but to guajillo peppers. Guajillo peppers are large, mild, dried red peppers with a distinctively fruity flavor. The sauce made from them is perfect for a mild enchilada filling, so I went with potatoes and pepper-jack Daiya vegan cheese. This only uses half the package of Daiya, but the rest can be frozen.

Potato-Cheese Enchiladas

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1.75 ounces/50 g guajillo peppers (6 peppers)

A few tablespoons olive oil, divided use

1 large onion, diced small

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bouillon cube or salt to taste

4 medium potatoes, about 1-1/2 pounds/680 g

18 corn tortillas

1 cup grated vegan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

To make the sauce, pour the boiling water over the peppers in a small bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes or longer.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute.

Transfer the peppers, along with their soaking water, to a blender. Add the onion, cumin, and the bouillon cube or salt. Blend until smooth.

Toss the potato cubes with another tablespoon or 2 of olive oil. Spread in a single later in an oiled baking pan and roast for 25-30 minutes, turning over once or twice.

Heat the oven to 350 F. To assemble the enchiladas, have the roasted potatoes and cheese near by, as well as a plate. Oil 3 8 x 8-inch baking pans (or 1 8 x 8-inch pan and one 9 x 13-inch one) Mix about 1/3 of the sauce with 2/3 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a pie pan. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of all the baking pans.

Dip both sides of a tortilla in the sauce mixture to soften it a bit. Put it on the plate and add a couple of tablespoons of cubed potato and slightly less than a tablespoon of cheese. Roll up loosely and place seam-side down in a casserole dish. Continue with remaining tortillas. You'll be able to get 6 enchiladas in a single 8 x 8-inch pan.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until heated through.

Serves 6 to 9.

Tofu Ricotta and Spinach Calzones and an announcement

2011-07-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

I am writing a cookbook, y'all! The idea came to me when I came very, very close to writing to a famous vegan cookbook author and asking when she was going to write a sandwich cookbook. I love sandwiches SO MUCH and would love to have a sandwich cookbook on my shelf. And I didn't just want it to have sandwiches in it; I wanted tacos, spring rolls, burgers, little handheld appetizers - basically anything you could eat with your hands. Then I thought "but it probably wouldn't have enough taco recipes in it" and "no one can do spicy the way I do spicy" and realized I wanted to write it myself.

The drawback was the breads. A good sandwich cookbook needs bread recipes in it, I think, or you're at the mercy of the grocery store. So I set out to learn to make great bread, got that mostly down, but then got off track with the idea of writing a cookbook.

I keep a file of ideas for things to make for the blog, and the sliders and tofu po'boys I made recently were both ideas that were meant for the book. When they were both successful after the second try each, I was reminded. And so, it's time.

The tentative title is "Handheld" and will include breakfast sandwiches, appetizers, grilled things, burgers, all kinds of classic sandwiches like paninis and BBQ seitan, wraps, tacos (yes!), salad sandwiches, and desserts.

My goal is to finalize at least one recipe a day, which means cooking more than one a day. So I'm not going to be blogging as much, and when I do, it might just be a photo, or a link to someone else's recipe I've made as a side dish. Hell, I might start using the blog as a journal. You wouldn't mind if I vented a bit here, would you?

Also, are there any sandwich-type recipes that you would like to see in the book? I'll do my best to make 'em! And in a couple of months (my goal is October 1) I'm going to put out a call for recipe testers, but you're welcome to sign up early if you're interested.

These calzone recipes won't be in the book because they rely too much on the tofu ricotta recipe from Veganomicon, but other calzone recipes will be there.

I am sharing this with Meatless Mondays and Hearth 'n' Soul.

Dough:

1-1/4 cups warm water, about 105 F

1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup bread or all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups whole wheat flour (or more as needed)

Add water, yeast and all-purpose flour to a medium bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with dough hooks. Combine well with a fork, cover, and let stand for 45 minutes to an hour. The mixture will bubble up and expand.

Add vital wheat gluten, sugar, salt, and olive oil and combine with a fork. If you're using a stand mixer to knead the dough, start it now. Add remaining flour, stopping to combine the last of the flour with a fork if necessary. Let mixer knead dough for 5 minutes on low, or turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, add more flour as necessary, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time.

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour until doubled in size.

Filling:

1/2 cup raw cashews

14 ounces/400 g firm tofu, crumbled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice - from 2-3 lemons

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 pound/450 g chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 or 5 artichoke hearts from a can (about 1/2 a can), roughly chopped

Grind cashews in a food processor until they are powder. (This works great with frozen cashews.) Add tofu, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt, thyme and red pepper flakes. Puree, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.

Transfer mixture to a bowl. Stir in spinach and artichokes.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Punch down dough and divide into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece into a 7-inch circle. Divide filling among the circles, placing the filling in the middle. Fold circles in half and press the edges with a fork to seal them.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Serves 6

Rigatoni with Kabocha Squash-Sage-Walnut Sauce

2011-07-06T17:33:00.000-05:00

I'm very lucky to have a large Asian market that is on the way to the big supermarket where I usually shop. I can head out shopping and come home with just about any ingredient you could ask for. The Asian market is a bit dangerous for the budget, though, as I can't resist picking up a new condiment (especially a spicy one) or a new-to-me fruit or vegetable on each trip. Earlier this summer, I came home with a beautiful green kabocha squash, also known as a Japanese pumpkin. It sat on my kitchen window sill for a month while I contemplated what to do with it. Finally I roasted it and used half of it in some risotto, and froze the rest. The risotto recipe needs some tweaking, but the pasta I made from the rest of the squash is a keeper.

Kabocha squash tastes a lot like North American pumpkin. It might even be a bit sweeter.The texture is amazing. I'm definitely picking up more of these in the future.

I'm sending this over to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Helen of Fuss Free Flavors. Also, I'm linking this up with Hearth 'n' Soul, Meatless Mondays and Vegan Mondays.

Rigatoni with Kabocha Squash-Sage-Walnut Sauce

This recipe only uses half the squash. You can double this or freeze the remaining squash; it's good in risotto or any recipe calling for pumpkin. One you've roasted the squash, the rest of the recipe goes together very quickly.

8 oz. rigatoni

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon miso (any kind - I used red miso)

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/2-3/4 cup pasta cooking water

1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

1/2 of a roasted kabocha squash (from a 3-1/2 lb./1.6 kg squash, see note)

Cook rigatoni according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic for a minute or two. Stir miso and sage into 1/2 cup hot water from cooking the pasta. Add to the skillet with the walnuts and squash. Heat through on medium-low heat.

Drain pasta and add to the squash mixture. Add more hot water if necessary. Serve topped with a few big walnut pieces.

Serves 3.

*To roast the squash, first preheat the oven to 375 F. Cut the squash in half through the top, then cut each half in two pieces. Alternating between a serrated knife and a large chef's knife will make this easier. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Brush the insides with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until fork-tender, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool a bit, then peel and dice into 1-1/2 inch cubes.

House Favorites: Vegan - June Wrap Up

2011-07-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

We had a little bit of everything this month for House Favorites: Vegan. The collection of recipes is really starting to add up.

R & R at Tadka Pasta bring us a handy way to handle the sometimes awkward mango - sticks! Check out Mango Management - A Sticky Situation for the details.

Deb at Invisible Voices has made Simple Lemonade "about 500 times" now that summer is here. What could be more refreshing?

With sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavors, this Rasam from Plateful is sure to be a blissful and comforting glass of soup.

Fresh pasta sauce is always welcome at Raven's house. Vegan Penne & Artichoke Hearts from Cook.Eat.Delicious! Features artichokes, olives and corn for a "yummy combination.

When Caffettiera of La Caffettiera Rosa misses Trieste, the first place she lived away from her family, it's Blede con patate – Chard and potatoes that she craves.

I was all about the desserts this month. I made our old favorite Pumpkin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies.

And, since we had a birthday in the house this month, I also made Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese White Chocolate Icing.

From snacks to soups to desserts, I think we had something to please every palate this month. Thank you so much for your entries!

House Favorites: Vegan - July Announcement

2011-07-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

1. Your dish needs to be vegan. This means no meat, fish, dairy, honey or their derivatives.

2. You should have made this at least three times and consider the recipe "finished." Any course is welcome, from appetizers to desserts. Variations on your favorite dishes are welcome.

3. In your blog post, please mention House Favorites: Vegan, and link to my main page: http://chezcayenne.blogspot.com.

4. Use Mr. Linky at the end of the monthly announcement to enter your post.

Feel free to enter your House Favorites: Vegan entries in other blog events.

You are welcome to use either of the logos here, but it's not required.

Tofu Po'boys

2011-06-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

A couple of times a year, I stock up on veggie "fish", either at the Asian market, or at a vegan Chinese restaurant that has a cooler from which the proprietors sell various meat substitutes for the diners to take home with them. The fish is wrapped in seaweed and sliced into oval-shaped slices.

Although the "fish" is extremely delicious, I've wanted to come up with my own tofu version for a while. For one thing, the veggie fish is expensive: $8 for a 600 g package, which works out to be $6 a pound. Also, the two places that carry it are on the other side of town. Finally, I wouldn't want to share what I make with you if I thought you couldn't get the primary ingredient! If you do have the veggie fish available, though, you can make this by skipping the nori step and the flour-dredging step and dipping it directly in the batter. Speaking of the batter, I came up with it by replacing some of the flour in a classic tempura batter with cornmeal. It's a great batter, because leftovers have a nice texture when reheated the next day. Try it with some button mushrooms sometime.

I'm linking this up with Meatless Mondays, Vegan Monday, and It's a Keeper Thursday.

Tofu Po'boys

1 14-ounce/400 g package firm tofu

1 sheet nori, torn into pieces

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup cornstarch

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oil

1 cup water

Canola oil for frying

Drain the tofu and press for 20 minutes or more: wrap the tofu block in a dish towel or several paper towels. Place on a plate, top with another plate, and add some weight. The weight can be a heavy skillet or a few full cans.

In a blender, grind the nori with the Old Bay seasoning and salt.

Put 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour on a plate or pie pan.

Cut tofu into three slices and then cut each slice into four strips. Sprinkle about half the nori mixture onto the tofu and press into the slices. Turn the tofu over and repeat with the remaining nori mixture.

In a large skillet, heat about an inch of canola oil to medium-hot, 365 F to 375 F.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup flour with cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder, sugar, salt, 1 teaspoon oil and water. Stir until smooth. Dredge each tofu strip in the dry flour (this will allow the batter to stick), then dip in the batter. Fry about 1/2 the strips at a time. Cook until golden on the bottom, turn over, and cook until the other side is golden. Drain on paper towels.

Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato and cocktail sauce.

Cocktail sauce:

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

A few drops Tabasco sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients. (I usually take everything to the table along with spoons and small bowls and let everyone mix their own.)

Serves 3-4

Fourth of July Punch or Sangria

2011-06-26T13:25:00.004-05:00

I found the cutest recipe ever for Sangria on a blog last year. She sliced star fruit to make her Sangria look like the U.S. flag, just in time for Independence Day on July 4. It was ingenious. But why should the adults have all the fun? I decided that when I made the Sangria, I would make a non-alcoholic punch, too. I wanted something more interesting for the punch than fruit juice, so I used fruity herbal tea in place of the wine.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find star fruit at either of two grocery stores, despite having seen them just a couple of weeks ago. So I got creative and used a white gaya melon and cut out stars with a small cookie cutter. If you can't find star fruit or gaya melon, you could cut stars from a honeydew or cantalope.

I'm sending this over to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Chris of Mele Cotte.

Happy Independence Day!

Fourth of July Punch

The best tea for this is one that is pink, such as one that contains hibiscus. The photo above is the punch, not the sangria.

3 cups fruity herbal tea (I used Republic of Tea Flowering Fruit Tea)

2 cups ginger ale

1 cup strawberries

2/3 cup blueberries

2/3 cup fruit stars (from one star fruit or cut from a melon)

Combine all ingredients. When serving be sure to include some of the fruit.

Makes just under 2 quarts including fruit.

Fourth of July Sangria

Use white or rosé wine for this as you will not be able to see the stars in red wine.

1 bottle wine

2 shots brandy or cognac

2 cups ginger ale

1 cup strawberries

2/3 cup blueberries

2/3 cup fruit stars (from one star fruit or cut from a melon)

Agave nectar to taste (about 3 tablespoons)

Combine all ingredients. When serving be sure to include some of the fruit.

Makes just under 2 quarts including fruit.

Curried Roasted Potato Salad

2011-06-22T17:04:00.000-05:00

This is the second of three posts about great food for summer get-togethers. The first is here.

My oven doesn't get the kitchen as hot as cooking on the stovetop does, so I roast vegetables a lot during hot weather. Since veggies are super tasty this way, it's a win-win situation.

I saw a homemade vegan mayonnaise recipe recently and thought potato salad would be a good opportunity to test it. From reading the comments on the original mayo recipe, I learned that light soy milk doesn't let this get thick, so when I mixed up some soymilk from Better Than Milk powder, I made it double strength. It thickened up nicely in the blender. The homemade mayo and curry powder take this way beyond the realm of ordinary potato salad.

I'm linking this up with the Hearth 'n' Soul blog hop.

Curried Roasted Potato Salad

1-1/2 pounds potatoes

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/3 cup minced celery

1/3 cup minced yellow onion or sweet onion

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup soy milk or creamer, the thicker the better

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 F. Scrub potatoes and cut into bite size pieces (I like the pieces on the large side). Toss with 1 tablespoon canola oil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes, turning the potatoes once or twice while roasting. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the celery and onion.

Combine canola oil, soy milk, curry powder, and salt in a blender until creamy. While the blender is running, add the vinegar a few drops at a time and blend until thick, about 3 minutes. (The mixture may thicken, get thin , and then thicken again.) Stir into the potatoes. Serve warm or cold.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Lentil-Mushroom Sliders with homemade buns

2011-06-19T18:21:00.002-05:00

This post and the two following are all about great food for summer get-togethers.

I love tiny food and I've been wanting to make sliders since I first became aware of the trend a few years ago. These would be a good way to get your friends and family to try something new. It's hard to resist food when it's so miniscule and cute.

I based these on my veggie loaf recipe, replacing the celery with mushrooms and the brown rice with quinoa. Adding the quinoa means dirtying another pan, but they also hold together better than burgers with rice in them. They freeze well and it only takes 2 or 3 to make an entrée-sized serving.

I made homemade buns for them, basing those on the Millet-Pepita Bread.

I'm linking this up with Meatless Mondays and Vegan Mondays. This is also going to My Legume Love Affair, created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Aqua of Served with Love.

Lentil-Mushroom Sliders

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

4 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup lentils

2 cups vegetable broth, divided

1/2 cup quinoa

1/3 cup walnuts

2/3 cup rolled oats

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Heat olive oil in a pot. Sauté onion until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute. Stir in lentils and 1 cup vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

In a small pan with a tight-fitting lid, bring quinoa and 1 cup vegetable broth to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until quinoa absorbs the broth.

Pulse walnuts in the food processor until most of them are a powder. (This works best with frozen walnuts.) Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients, rolled oats through salt. Stir in the quinoa when it's cooked.

Transfer the cooked lentils to the food processor and pulse to mash them, leaving the mixture a bit chunky. Stir into the quinoa mixture.

Form into balls about 1-3/4 inch in diameter, then flatten into patties about 2-1/2 inches across. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil, put down the patties, and brush the tops with more olive oil. Broil for 5-6 minutes a side.

Makes 18-20 patties, 6-10 servings.

Sesame-Millet Slider Buns

1 cup warm water, about 105 F

1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup white flour

1/3 cup millet

1/3 cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons agave nectar

1 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or more as needed)

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together water, yeast and white flour with a fork. Cover and let stand for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This sponge will bubble up and double in volume.

Add millet, sesame seeds, oil, agave nectar, salt and vital wheat gluten and mix into the sponge with a fork. If you're using a stand mixer with dough hooks to knead, turn it on now. Work the whole wheat flour into the rest of the ingredients.

Knead with a mixer on low for 5 minutes or turn dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. If your dough is too sticky to work with, add more whole wheat flour a tablespoon or two at a time. When the dough has been kneaded enough it will not stick to your hands and will spring back when touched.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover loosely with a clean dishcloth or paper towel. Set aside to rise until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Divide dough into 18-20 balls and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick and 2-1/2 inches across. Place the buns on a cookie sheet with the sides touching and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 375 F. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

Grilled Vegetable-Lentil Soup

2011-06-14T18:25:00.001-05:00

As promised, here is the soup I made from the grilled vegetables from yesterday. It's a big bowl of smoky vegetable goodness. Since you can freeze it, you can have that goodness on a night when the weather or your available time won't let you grill.

I'm sending this to No Croutons Required, hosted this month by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes. This is also going to My Legume Love Affair, created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Aqua of Served with Love.

Grilled Vegetable-Lentil Soup

1/2 recipe of the Versatile Vegetable Grill

5 cups vegetable broth

1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red lentils

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)

Dice the vegetables. Simmer the vegetables, broth, tomatoes, lentils, oregano and salt for 15 minutes until the lentils are tender. Garnish with basil if desired.

Serves 6.

Versatile Vegetable Grill

2011-06-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's getting too hot to grill here? The weekend before last when I had planned to make this, it hit 102 F here officially. Unofficially - that is, according to the thermometer in my car - it was 105 F. I had to wait until later in the week when the high was back to the mid 90s, otherwise grilling would have been no fun at all.

A little bit Mediterranean and a little bit Asian, this is one of the most versatile recipes for grilled vegetables I know. Usually, I serve it with pita bread, hummus and some fruit on the side, but the grilled veggies have also made their way into paella, on top of noodles, and this time after serving it the usual way, I made soup from the leftovers. I'll post the soup recipe tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure the recipe existed on its own on this blog, too, since I make it at least once a summer.

Versatile Vegetable Grill

1 sweet onion, sliced and divided into rings

2 red bell peppers, cut into about 6 pieces each

1 small globe eggplant or two chinese eggplants, about 3/4 pound/350 g

1 large zucchini, sliced into coins

4 large portobello mushrooms, cut into quarters

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup mirin

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh basil, cut into strips

Place all of the vegetables in a watertight container or zip-top plastic bag. Whisk together marinade ingredients and pour over vegetables. Close container and turn upside down to coat the vegetables. Marinate for an hour or longer, turning the container once or twice.

Heat coals. Drain vegetables and cook on a grill pan until tender. Serves 4-6.

Rigatoni with Summer Squash, Vegan Sausage and Breadcrumbs

2011-06-08T17:18:00.003-05:00

Squirrels* are jerks**. First, in February, they ate all my cauliflower, just as the first one or two were starting to bloom. Then in April, as soon as I set out my squash seedlings, which were also just starting to bloom, they ate those. This after I let them eat their fill at the bird feeder and even give them popcorn and tortillas. Ingrates!

So, I was anticipating having way too much squash to deal with later this summer and looking forward to all of the creative things I was going to make with it. I'll just have to try out all of my ideas with supermarket squash, which is cheap and in season right now. I saw this recipe for crumbed zucchini in Vegetarian Planet and thought it would be a great way to use lots of zucchini or squash. And since I still had some homemade seitan sausage in the freezer, I added some, which turned out to be the right choice. This dish is great if you want pasta but don't want tomato sauce or a cream sauce with it. The toasty, garlicky breadcrumbs really pull the ingredients together.

*To be fair, my vegetables might be being eaten by one of the other creatures that lives in my yard, like a possum or a raccoon. Or a vegetarian chupacabra.

**What we actually say about squirrels I won't print here, except to say that it starts with an "s" and ends in "heads."

I'm sending this over to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Kirsten of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours , and linking it up with Simple and in Season.

Rigatoni with Summer Squash, Vegan Sausage and Breadcrumbs

If you don't have homemade seitan sausage handy, 2 links of Tofurkey sausage will do nicely.

8 ounces/225 g rigatoni

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 fat cloves garlic, minced, divided

2 slices whole wheat bread, crumbed

1 pound/450 g yellow squash, cut into short, thin strips

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper

7 ounces/200 g vegan sausage cut into small pieces

Set a big pot of water to boil for the rigatoni. When water boils, cook rigatoni according to package instructions, drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add half the garlic and the bread crumbs. Sauté until crumbs are toasty and set aside. Add the remaining oil, garlic and the squash. Sauté until squash is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sausage and heat. Stir in the rigatoni and serve.

Makes about 3 servings.

Pumpkin-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies and learning to cook

2011-06-04T17:31:00.002-05:00

I first learned to cook from my mom Eloise. At first it was mostly cookies. One of my earliest memories of us cooking together was when I put cinnamon candy noses on reindeer-shaped cookies, for Christmas when I was three.

The cookie recipe was from a bag of Brownulated sugar (a cross between brown sugar and white sugar). Later, I laboriously copied the recipe in case it disappeared from the package. When Mom died seventeen years ago, I found most of our old favorites.

We also made Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies from the chocolate chip package and oatmeal cookies from the Quaker Oats box.

I have happy memories of making these seven-layer bars, one of the first things I made on my own.

I was so proud of the first recipe I invented when I was seven or eight that I typed it. Even though I couldn't spell "sugarless" or "dough", I knew exactly what I wanted to make: A dough of butter, flour, egg, salt and baking powder with grated cheese stirred into it. We never made these, but I imagine they would taste like cheese straws.

Later we cooked savory recipes, often in Girl Scouts. This spinach salad recipe is the precursor to this recipe I made recently.

My sister was the quiche expert. I remember those quiches fondly, and kept making similar ones once I was out of the house on my own.

When I was 12, one of my birthday presents was a pizza "oven", a special pan that sat over an electric stove burner so that you could make a "perfect" twelve-inch pizza. I never made a yeast dough for these so the crust was more like a biscuit. I remember those pizzas fondly.

I learned what to do with various spices from my mom. She didn't make spaghetti sauce like a lot of other people made at the time. Hers was so much more than just meat, tomato sauce and a half-teaspoon of Italian seasoning.

When I was in college, I visited Mom one weekend. I showed up early on Friday while she was working, so I went to her lab, where she was a medical technologist. She showed me their sample petri dishes that they kept for diagnosis of various things like ringworm. It was a little bit gross, but interesting too.

Later, I went back to her apartment to start some chili, which she was going to help me finish when she got home. She had just started making it with ground cumin in addition to the chili powder and promised me it would be really tasty.

I opened the can of beans, saw some white stuff floating around on top, and freaked. I was sure the beans had botulism. I called her at work and she convinced me to set them aside in the refrigerator. It turns out the white stuff was just pork fat. The chili was delicious.

I never did find her curry recipe, which was so Westernized as to be unrecognizable as authentic curry, but which is comfort food to me now. I found out later that it was "Country Captain Chicken." I've made a vegan version of it many times since I discovered what it was called.

Mom wasn't dogmatic about making recipes exactly the same way every time. She liked to experiment a bit, and I've inherited the trait. When my son was small, I planned to make some classic oatmeal cookies, and then discovered some pumpkin in the freezer. I threw it in, added some nuts, and this has been a House Favorite ever since. I'm also linking this up with the Hearth 'n' Soul Blog Hop and Sweets for a Saturday.

Pumpkin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

The moisture from the pumpkin gives these the texture of little cakes. You can freeze the remainder of the pumpkin and use it later in some pancakes or muffins.

1 tablespoon ground golden flax seed

3 tablespoons water

3/4 cup canola oil

Scant 1 cup pumpkin (1/2 of a 15-ounce can)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or additional AP flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup walnut pieces

3 cups rolled oats

Beat together the flax seed and water until the mixture thickens. Add canola oil, pumpkin and sugars and beat on medium-high until creamy. Add vanilla and mix briefly.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Using a large spoon, add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, beating briefly on low after each addition. Do not over-beat. Stir in the last of the flour by hand with the spoon.

Stir in the walnuts and rolled oats. Let mixture stand for a few minutes to thicken while you heat the oven to 375 F.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 36 cookies.

House Favorites: Vegan - May Wrap Up

2011-06-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

Sunny and fresh describes all the entries in House Favorites: Vegan this month. I'll have one of everything, please!

Adj at Tattoos and Champagne realized that most of the guests she had invited to her spring BBQ were vegetarians and vegans, so she had her first ever vegan BBQ. Among other delicious dishes, she made Grilled "Meatballs" and Potatoes and finished the meal with her friend's delicious Apple Crisp.

The always irreverent and hilarious K Jackson was doing a cleanse earlier this month and made raw zucchini into Zucchini Bin Laden: Zucchini Noodles with Pesto at Epicure What Ails You. It's "seriously good and seriously easy to make."

I made my old favorite Spinach and Strawberry Salad with creamy agave-Dijon dressing.

I also made a favorite Grilled Vegetable Tortilla Soup, something I've been making since last summer.

Caffettiera of La Caffettiera Rosa is back this month, this time with Risi e Bisi, or risotto with peas. If you are doing a spring cleanse yourself, here is another great dish to have. All the little details she puts into cooking the dish make it special.

At The Beet Reporter, Krista made Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Shortstacks with Lemon-Thyme Drizzle. These go together almost as quickly as you can say the name, and are a nice light alternative to Eggplant Parmesan.

Raven and her husband have learned to make Thai food at home to satisfy their cravings. He makes his version very hot, so she makes "Mellow Yellow" Thai Curry as a delicious counterpoint.

Our collection of House Favorites is growing nicely. Thank you all for your entries this month. I hope you'll enter something in next month's event.