Italian Style Tofu Steaks

I don't really have much of an introduction for this one, other than it's easy, healthy and crazy delicious!

Italian Style Tofu Steaks
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
Juice from one whole lemon
tsp each dried basil, oregano, and thyme

Combine all marinade ingredients in a wide shallow bowl.  Cut the tofu widthwise into 8 equal pieces.  Marinate for an hour, flipping once after 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.  Place the tofu on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray and spoon a little extra marinade onto each steak.  Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven, flip steaks and spoon a little more marinade onto the other side.  Sprinkle each steak with a little sea salt and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Set oven to broil, and broil steaks for 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Meatless Vegan Mini Meatloaf

I got a few requests for this recipe after I posted a pic of it on facebook.  I originally wasn't going to put it up here, because I just kind of threw it together.  But it did come out really well so I decided to share it after all.  The measurements are approximate, and as with all of my recipes feel free to tweak it according to your taste.  A ketchup sauce would have been really nice on top of the loaf, but I didn't have any at the time.  It's pretty simple, and just like real meatloaf, the skies the limit with what you could throw in here!  The portion here could serve 2 small portions, or 1 if you're really hungry (like I was.)  I just ate this with some quinoa with spinach mixed in.

Meatless Vegan Mini Meatloaf
1/2 tube of Gimmelean ground beef style veggie protein
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp almond milk
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
plenty of black pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  In a bowl, mix the Gimmelean ground beef and breadcrumbs together with your hands.  Mix in wet ingredients.  Mix in spices.  On a lightly greased baking sheet, form mixture into a small loaf and bake for 40 minutes.  That's it!  Super easy.



 

Happy National Vegan Mac n Cheese Day!!!

Mac n cheese is my ultimate comfort food.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday and be perfectly happy- ecstatic even!  It was one of the hardest foods to break up with when I kissed my dairy consuming days goodbye.  Since I became vegan,  I've been on the hunt for a comparable vegan mac n cheese recipe that will squash my cravings for my cheesy, melty, childhood delight.  All the recipes I've tried in the past never really came close as far as flavor and texture goes.  The flavor would be good, but not even close to cheese.  The sauces always seemed powdery and not creamy.  However, finally, after much trial and error, and just in time for Vegan Mac n Cheese Day, I came up with this recipe.  It's ooey, it's gooey, it actually tastes like cheese and even has vegan bacon in it.  I'm pretty proud of my myself on this one.  It's packing a little high on calories, but hey, it's okay to indulge every once in a while and Vegan Mac n Cheese Day only comes around once a year!

Ooey Gooey Fully Loaded Vegan "Mac n Cheese" with "Bacon"
(serves 2)
4 oz elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups Daiya cheddar style shreds
1 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tbsp vegan margarine
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, Italian style
1/4 tsp paprika
extra virgin olive oil
3 strips vegan bacon (optional)

Cook macaroni according to package.  While pasta is cooking, make vegan bacon according to package, if using.  I used Lightlife's Smart Bacon, it cooks up in about 3 minutes.  When pasta is done cooking, drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350.  Make the cheese sauce while the oven is heating up.  In a small sauce pan, melt the margarine.  Add pepper then stir in milk.  Add the daiya cheese and cook over medium heat, about 5 minutes or until the daiya has melted and sauce is thick and creamy.  Stir the macaroni and sauce together, then crumble the bacon and stir that into the mixture.  Transfer to a small casserole dish.
In a separate bowl, mix panko bread crumbs, paprika and a drizzle of olive oil..  Sprinkle panko bread crumb mixture on top of mac and cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, uncovered or until the cheese is bubbling and bread crumbs are starting to brown.
Enjoy!

Homemade Banana "Ice Cream."

So, the temperature has been hitting the triple digits here in Jersey this past week.  I live down the block from a drive thru ice cream parlor called the Magic Fountain.  Every time I pass there, there are lines out into the streets and I jealously stare at all of the people who are waiting for their chance to get some delicious relief from the heat.  Sometimes, you just want some ice cream, ya know? And sometimes, it's just too damn hot to crawl to the grocery store and pick up a vegan version.  But then I found this recipe in a cookbook I have titled "Peas and Thank You" by Sarah Matheny.  The recipe in the book is called "Banana Split Remix" and only uses two ingredients.  That's right, only two!  And you probably have them sitting in your kitchen right now.  The recipe also lists agave nectar to taste as a third ingredient, but I found that if you are using very ripe bananas you don't need to sweeten it at all.  So here we go, an easy, healthy, vegan alternative to ice cream to help punch the heat in the face.

Banana Split Remix (from Peas and Thank You.)
3 Bananas Peeled, cut into 2-3 inch segments and frozen for at least 4 hours
1/4 cup non-dairy milk, if necessary (I used almond milk)
Agave nectar to taste(optional)

Put frozen bananas in a food processor or blender and turn on high for several minutes.  Stop appliance and scoop sides down,  Continue blending several more minutes until the mixture has the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  If necessary, add milk, a small amount at a time, until mixture is smooth.
Add agave nectar, if desired.  Place ice cream in in bowls or parfait glasses and add your favorite toppings!

Nutrition Information Per Serving (for 4 servings):  325 calories, 14 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 8 g protein

Isa's Tofu Dill Salad (from Vegan with a Vengeance)

It's been really hot the past few days in New Jersey.  Really, really, really hot and there was no way in hell that I was going to cook over an even hotter stove.  Luckily for this recipe you don't need to.  It's super easy and super delicious and squashes any craving you may have for egg salad.  I made this about a month ago and brought it to a friend's barbecue where the vast majority of people there were meat eaters.  I only brought it to make sure that I had something to eat and of course I made enough for people try.  Much to my surprise, by the time I went back for seconds, the bowl had been scraped clean!  Needless to say, I patted myself on the back a little bit for being awesome.  Anyways, here is the recipe.

Tofu Dill Salad
1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
3 tbsp minced red onion
3 tbsp vegannaise*
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
2 tsp dijon mustard*
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
salt and fresh black pepper to taste
slices of whole wheat bread
sammich fixins (lettuce, tomato and onion)
*I found that the recipe needed a little more vegannaise and mustard than 3 tbsp and 2 tsp so I just added a little more of both until I got the consistency that I wanted.

In a large bowl, crumble tofu with your hands for about 30 seconds, until you reach a crumbly but still somewhat firm consistency.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients through the pepper, then chill for about 15 minutes.  Serve on whole wheat bread topped with your favorite sammaich fixins.  Super easy!

Spicy Red Bean and Cilantro Burgers with Greenbeans and Mushrooms.

Last night, as I was looking through my fridge trying to figure what to make for dinner, I saw that I had a bunch of cilantro and baby bella mushrooms that were going to go bad if I didn't use them in the next few days.  I hate letting produce go bad just because I was too lazy to use it anything.  I always feel so guilty.  I was also very tired last night after work because I hadn't been sleeping well, and I really didn't want to make a big deal out of dinner, I just wanted something delicious, filling and easy.  I came up with these recipes, using the cilantro and mushrooms to avoid the guilt of them going bad.  It was really easy to put together and I was surprised at how much flavor was in both of these dishes.  Enjoy!

Spicy Red Bean and Cilantro Burgers

(for burger:)
1 15 oz. can of red beans, drained and rinsed well
1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted and broken up into crumbs
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
1/4 packed cup of cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
Dash of fresh black pepper

(for panko bread crumb coating:)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp oregano
dash of sea salt
dash of fresh black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the beans up for about 20 seconds.  I find this makes them easier to mash.  Mash beans with a potato masher or fork, until pasty and there aren't any visible whole beans.  Add breadcrumbs and olive oil and mix with your hands.  Mix in onions and cilantro.  Mix in spices.  Take 1/4 of the mixture and form into a ball.  Flatten out into a patty and coat each side in the panko bread crumb mixture.  Make three more burgers.  Place burgers on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes.  Serve on toasted whole wheat bread and your favorite burger fixings.  I used vegan mayo, spinach and sauteed mushrooms.  Yum!


Green Beans with Mushrooms

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sea salt
A few dashes fresh black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces

In a large pan over medium heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, oregano, salt and pepper and saute until mushrooms begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add vegetable broth, turn heat up a little and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 1 minute.  Add the white wine and green beans, cover and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking  for 3 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.  This is a fantastic side dish!  It takes no time at all, and I definitely see myself making this a few times a week.

My Friend Made Me Vegan Lasagna!

So, as I had said in a previous post, I was having a pretty bad day at work this past Wednesday.  It was just very hectic at the animal hospital and just to make matters worse, we were severely shorthanded.  Thank goodness for good friends at work. My best friend Tom came in to help me even though it was his day off and my sweet doctor friend (who is an amazing cook) brought in homemade lasagna for everyone, and was even thoughtful enough to make a vegan version for me, another doctor friend who is lactose intolerant and another coworker/friend who is vegetarian.  It was so nice of her to do that for us, and it was delicious to boot!  The sauce was out of this world, packing a lot of flavor and a little heat.  In place of cheese, she used thinly sliced tofu.  The texture was perfect, as it added a nice chewiness to the lasagna.  She also used some spinach, which I absolutely love as it's my go to green whenever I'm looking to add some extra nutrition to a dish.  I'm going to beg her to share the recipe with me, and if I can get her to, I'll be posting it.  Thank you so so so much Viv for making my and everyone's day a little better by sharing your delicious food with us!

Quinoa and Black Bean Croquettes with Mushroom Sauce

Horrible day at work at the vet's office.  Horrible, stupid, awful day.  Filled with poop and piss and animals trying to eat me.  Plus I had to help remove like 12 decayed teeth from a poor cat's stinky mouth (it was gnarly.)  I still love animals though!  But luckily I had the opportunity to work with two of my favorite doctors.  One of which loves my cooking, the other who always cooks for me (she brought me a home made vegan lasagna today!  Post to follow.)  So, with that given (plus all my other coworkers are always curious about what I eat) I decided to cook something delicious and make sure that I made enough to bring enough for everyone to try tomorrow.


Quinoa and Black Bean Croquettes with Mushroom Sauce (inspired by a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance)

 

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained, or 1 (15 oz) can, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 cup cooked quinoa, at room temperature
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil

For the Bread Crumb Coating
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/8 tsp salt
a few dashes of black pepper
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  In a mixing bowl mash the black beans with a potato masher or fork and then with your hands.  Add the olive oil and soy sauce and stir.  Add the quinoa and spices and combine the mixture with your hands.  You should be able to them into balls that readily stick together.
In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the breading.  Spray a baking pan with a little no calorie cooking spray.  Form the croquettes into walnut-sized balls.  Gently roll the balls between your palms 3 or 4 times, then flatten out the ends so that the croquettes resemble slightly flattened marshmallows.  Coat each ball with the bread crumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet.  When all of the croquettes have been formed, spray lightly with oil.  Bake 40 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes.



Mushroom Sauce (from Vegan with a Vengeance)

1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp thyme
a few dashes fresh black pepper
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 tbsp plain soy milk

In a small bowl whisk arrowroot into the vegetable broth until dissolved.  Set aside. In a saucepan saute' the onions and garlic in oil for 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the white wine and turn up heat to bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Add the soy sauce and the broth/arrowroot mixture.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Whisk in nutritional yeast until dissolved.  Stir in soy milk and serve.  This sauce also makes a great pasta sauce, I put in everything!!!  To make it more like a gravy, add in some flour when you add the nutritional yeast.

Serve dish with extra quinoa in the middle of the plate, topped with mushroom sauce.  Place four croquettes around the quinoa.  I wish that I had added some green colors to this, but maybe for next time.

Lentil and Brown Rice Loaf (casserole) with Mashed Potatoes, Garlicky Kale and Plenty of Mushroom Gravy! This meal rocked!

So, I'm originally from the south which means I grew up with lots of greens, mashed potatoes, gravy and often some kind of casserole, fried "something or another" or meatloaf.  The other night I got a crazy craving for some of that down home goodness that my mammy and mom used to make and decided to whip up a meal worthy of their recipe boxes.  I had a slight hiccup with the loaf as it didn't hold it's shape in the pan, but no worries.  I've got an easy fix for that and you know what?  It wasn't half bad as a casserole! This recipe also makes amazing burgers!

Lentil and Brown Rice Loaf

1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup brown rice
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and diced
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. chili powder
flour or breadcrumbs (depending on whether you'd like a loaf, burgers or a casserole.)

In a saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil.  Add the lentils, reduce heat, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside. Meanwhile. in another saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add rice, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the rice is just softened, about 40 minutes (unless you use a quick cooking variety, which in retrospect would have been better for time.)  Drain and set aside.  In a saute' pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute' the garlic, onion and peppers until lightly browned.  Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl, combine the lentils, rice, vegetables and spices.  Add some flour or bread crumbs to hold mixture together unless you want a casserole as opposed to a loaf or burgers.  For a loaf or casserole:  Press into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for about 25 minutes.  For burgers:  Make into burger sized patties and place on a baking sheet and bake until slightly firm, about 15 minutes.

 

 

Garlicky Kale ( inspired by recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance)

5 or 6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch kale, well rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/4 tbsp. salt

Saute' the garlic in olive oil over medium high heat for about two minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown.  Add the kale and a few splashes of water.  Use tongs to toss kale around, coating it with garlic and oil.  Stir frequently 4-5 minutes.

 

 

Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, cut into one inch chunks
3 tbsp. vegan margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp. sea salt
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water.  Cover and bring to a boil, then add some salt to the water.  Re-cover and let boil for 20 minutes or so, until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain potatoes, then add back to the pot.  Add margarine, and mash with a potato masher or fork.  Add the the soy milk and mash some more until potatoes are fluffy.  Add sea salt, black pepper, and more soy milk or margarine if you think the potatoes need it

 

 

Mushroom Sauce (THE BEST!  Put it on everything!!!!  From Vegan with a Vengeance!)

3 cups veg broth
2 tbsp. arrowroot powder
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cremini mushrooms (or baby bellas) thinly sliced
1 tsp. tyme
1 tsp. sea salt
a few dashes fresh black pepper
1/2 cup white cooking wine
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

In a small bowl whisk arrowroot into the vegetable broth until dissolved.  Set aside. In a saucepan saute' the onions and garlic in oil for 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the white wine and turn up heat to bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Add the soy sauce and the broth/arrowroot mixture.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Whisk in nutritional yeast until dissolved.  Stir in soy milk and serve.  This sauce also makes a great pasta sauce, I put in everything!!!  To make it more like a gravy, add in some flour when you add the nutritional yeast.

Easy Vegan Pizza Night!

This past Thursday, I was impossibly tired after work.  Knowing that I had almost nothing at the house to eat, I still had to stop at the grocery store (even though I could barely keep my eyes open.)  So of course I picked up a few things with some recipes in mind for later in the week, but I also needed something that I could just quickly whip up when I got home for dinner, and still feel like I had a home cooked meal.  Easy vegan pizza to the rescue!  From start to finish it took me about 15-20 minutes to make, the prep work was easy and it was oh sooo good!

 So at the grocery store I stumbled upon these great little pre made mini pizza crusts.  Yup, they're vegan and super convenient to have on hand on nights when you really don't want to make a huge production out of dinner, but still want to have something yummy.

 - 1 Mini pizza crust of your choice
- 2 oz. GimmeLean sausage, crumbled
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce
- 1/4 cup Daiya mozzerella style shreds (plus a little extra to sprinkle
   on top)
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/4 of a red onion, sliced into crescents
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1tsp. dried oregano

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray a pan with a cooking spray (like pam), and cook the gimmelean sausage according to package (about 5 minutes.)  Remove from pan and set aside.  Using the same pan heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and add onions and garlic, cook about 5 minuted or until softened and translucent.  Add spinach and a splash of water and continue to cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes more, until spinach has wilted.  Now it's time to assemble your pizza!  Spoon on and spread the pizza sauce onto the pizza crust leaving about 1/4 inch around the edges for the crust.  Evenly sprinkle the daiya on top.  Add the remaining toppings, and sprinkle a little extra daiya on top of everything.  Sprinkle oregano over the pizza.  Place on a cookie sheet (or directly on oven rack for a crispier crust,) and cook in the oven for 5 minutes.  That's it!  Enjoy!