Yummy vegetarian recipes.

Here's a collection of my favorite vegan recipes picked from a recent newsletter from Daily Green. You should try these at home!

Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting

      

This vegan-friendly recipe for red velvet cake, complete with the buttercream frosting, is the perfect finish to any meal.

SERVINGS

8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

For Cake Batter:

3 1/2 cups (440 g) unbleached all-purpose or whole-wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons (9 g) baking soda

1 teaspoon (6 g) salt

2 teaspoons (9 g) cocoa powder

2 cups (470 ml) nondairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hazelnut, hemp, or oat)

2/3 cup (155 ml) canola oil

3 tablespoons (45 ml) red food coloring

2 tablespoons (30 ml) distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract

Ground pecans, for topping (optional)

For Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup (112 g) nondairy, nonhydrogenated butter (such as Earth Balance), at room temperature

3 cups (300 g) confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons (8 ml) vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (30 ml) nondairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hazelnut, hemp, or oat) or water

Assorted food colors (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; (180 degrees C, or gas mark 4). Lightly oil two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans.
To make the batter, in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Create a well in the center, and add milk, oil, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla, and mix until thoroughly combined.
Divide cake batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Place pans in the oven spaced evenly apart. Bake for about 35 minutes, rotating 45 degrees halfway through. When the cakes pull away from the side of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean, they are ready.
Let cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides. One at a time, invert cakes onto a plate and then reinvert onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.
To make the frosting, with an electric hand or stand mixer, cream butter until it is smooth and begins to fluff. With the mixer on low speed, add confectioners' sugar and fluff for another few minutes. Add vanilla, milk and food coloring (if using).
Once all ingredients are well-combined, beat on high until frosting is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more milk to achieve the right consistency. Cover the icing with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out until ready to use. Rewhip before using.
To frost cake, place one layer, rounded-side down, on a plate or cake stand. Using a palette knife or offset spatula, spread some frosting over top of cake. Carefully set other layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Cover entire cake with remaining frosting. If desired, sprinkle with pecans.

Excerpted from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. © Fair Winds Press 2009

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Vegan Tofu Spinach Lasagna

The tofu "ricotta" has a wonderful creamy texture and boasts all the familiarity of the traditional lasagna that most of us grew up with.

SERVINGS

8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

1/2 to 1 pound (225 to 455 g) lasagna noodles

2 packages (10 ounces, or 280 g, each) frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 package (16 ounces, or 455 g) firm tofu (not silken)

1 tablespoon (13 g) granulated sugar (optional)

1/4 cup (60 ml) nondairy milk (such as rice, oat, soy, almond, or hazelnut), or as needed

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 peeled garlic cloves

Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons [30 ml])

2 tablespoons (5 g) minced fresh basil (about 20 leaves)

1 teaspoon (6 g) salt (or to taste)

4 to 6 cups (980 to 1470 g) tomato or pasta sauce of your choice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; (180 degrees C, or gas mark 4).
Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions or use "no-boil" lasagna noodles. Drain and set aside.
Squeeze as much water from spinach as possible and set aside. (If using fresh spinach, blanch first.)
Place tofu, sugar (if using), milk, garlic powder, lemon juice, basil and salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. The tofu "ricotta" should be creamy but still have body.
Transfer to large-size bowl, and stir in spinach. Continue tasting until you get amount of salt just right.
Cover bottom of 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles (use about one-third of noodles). Follow with half the tofu filling. Continue in the same order, using half the remaining tomato sauce and noodles, and all remaining tofu filling. End with remaining noodles, covered by remaining tomato sauce. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS AND VARIATIONS

Add meatless meat crumbles to your tomato sauce for more texture and body. For more cheesiness, add shredded nondairy mozzarella cheese to each layer.
This recipe is also great for making stuffed shells. To do so, stuff pasta shells with the tofu ricotta from this recipe, place them in a baking dish, pour on tomato sauce and bake in a 350 degrees F (180 degrees C, or gas mark 4) oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Excerpted from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. © Fair Winds Press 2009

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Baked BBQ Tofu

Forget digging up a barbecue pit in your backyard. This chewy and succulent barbecue comes straight outta the oven. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound tofu, drained and pressed, cut widthwise into eighths
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Apricot BBQ Sauce:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
11⁄2 pounds apricots (6–8, depending on their size),pitted and sliced about 1⁄2 inch thick
1⁄2 cup vegetable broth or water
1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon ground coriander
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

PREPARATION

For the Apricot BBQ Sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in oil for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add the garlic, sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan. Add the apricots, black pepper, ginger, and coriander.

Cover and bring to a boil. Once the sauce is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and let cook for about 10 minutes, until the apricots are mushy.

Uncover and add the remaining ingredients. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring often and mashing the apricot as you stir. Taste the sauce and adjust the sweetness, if necessary.

Remove from the heat and let cool until it’s not steaming, stirring occasionally to speed up the cooling.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until completely smooth. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the tofu:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 9 ~ 18-inch (prefer¬ably glass or ceramic) baking pan, dredge the tofu in the peanut oil and tamari to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for 15 more minutes. Meanwhile, prepare whichever sauce you’re using.

When the tofu is done baking, pour the Apricot BBQ sauce over it, smothering it all over. Return to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2007.

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Steamed Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette

've highlighted the bok choy version of this dish because it's so pretty, but this same recipe made with cabbage and leeks is just as delicious and worthy of equal attention. Christopher and I absolutely lived off cabbage and leeks for years. I beg you to try both versions. There's something about the combination of the flaxseed oil, the sour of the vinegar, the freshness of the green and the seeds... Oh my God.

SERVINGS
2

INGREDIENTS
1 to 2 small heads bok choy (left intact) or 1/2 large head bok choy (chopped into bite-size pieces)
1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Gomashio

PREPARATION

1. Bring water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer or a pot fitted with a steamer basket. 

2. Add the bok choy and steam for 1 to 2 minutes until the vegetable is just starting to wilt. 

3. Transfer to a serving platter. 

4. Mix the vinegar and oil together in a small bowl, and drizzle over the steamed bok choy. (You may not need it all.) 

5. Serve sprinkled with the gomashio.

VARIATION
You can serve lightly steamed leeks and cabbage the same way. Be sure to steam the leek and cabbage separately, as it's nice to keep their flavors pristine and their cooking times may vary depending on the size and thickness of the vegetables. Top with toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds seasoned with a few drops of shoyu.

NOTES
People tend to throw greens in a steamer and just walk away, so it's alarmingly easy to overcook bok choy. I recommend you always err on the side of undercooking it, since it's so water-dense that it continues to cook a little after being removed from the steam. What you're aiming for is crunchiness without bitterness.
After you get familiar with this recipe, you may decide you want to use less vinegar. Find the oil to vinegar ratio that works best for you.

Excerpted from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone (2009, Rodale). All rights reserved. See more of Alicia Silverstone's vegan recipes.

Carnivores guide to meat in moderation.

I've been learning a lot lately about meat and how much we consume vs. what we need. Its no wonder to me that our nation if not the world is suffering from health problems linked to their diets. I'm not the biggest vegetable fan and I haven't always loved to eat them in large quantities, but, I'm getting to a point where I think its time for a change.

Meat today has become the center of our meals. Most often we think of what meat we want to eat then the sides to go with it. I'm not sure where we got all turned around, but, its not doing us any favors eating this way. I have spoken to people who feel they have some kind of right to eat meat and that because we're the highest on the food chain that we can consume whatever we choose to. Perhaps that's right in the circle of life aspect, but, "doing what we want" is seriously altering our ability to live a long and healthy life, besides the animal cruelty and environmental aspects.

I have been throwing the idea of becoming a vegetarian around and have come quite close to making my mind up about doing it. I had done it when I was a teen and with the right education, vitamin supplements, and practice, I could very well do it again. The one thing stopping me is that my son needs balanced proteins in his diet and I fear "playing" with that kind of diet is not a good idea for a growing child. I had already removed red meat and even chicken from my diet for the most part. Turkey is more lean and it comes in so many cuts now, its filled the need for the chicken and ground beef needs. I still eat pork.... I love pork, not sure if there will ever be a pork alternative. But, its not been a difficult change for me and I've been eating that way for a couple years now and do not miss a daily intake of cow and chicken at all.

In researching for this blog entry, I looked at food pyramids and daily meat and protein intake suggestions. I was sorta surprised to see the result....

(Table above link source)

This came from the USDA website, I've seen this before, but, never like I had this morning. I suppose actually reading it and thinking about what me and my son consume in regard to the daily needs puts things into perspective. I try to feed us a healthy diet is kinda alarming and settling at the same time. Because changing to a diet with a aggressive lean toward organic and free range is expensive! Especially in the meat department, so this helps solidify my desire to offer my son the best and feel like I can also afford to do so since we are currently consuming twice if not three times what we need. 

Okay so now I know that I eat too much meat daily, but, how can I figure out how to portion things easier and still know I'm feeding my son enough food?

 

(Above chart link)

This is helpful right? Just remember this is for a daily intake and here's more food for thought...

- 1 Pound = 16 ounces 

- 1 Quarter pound = 4 ounces  

Note: 1 Quarter pound equals your average hamburger and almost our daily intake of meat

This information may take some time to settle in and I think that's normal because we were not brought up to think about what we consume, where it comes from, and how it can harm us if we're not contentious about our eating habits.

I'm taking all of this information and change one day at a time and I think thats the only way to really allow it to make a difference. I find the information, think it over, and find the best way to apply it to my life style. Somethings I've been able to apply more sometimes less. I think that if I'm making a change in the right direction at all its a good thing and perhaps over time I can apply more. 

I share this information so you can think it over, find your own information, and perhaps make some changes in your life...

 

What is OAMC and why am I doing it?

I have always been contentious about food. The food issues that have stricken our society are scary and its frustrating if not nearly impossible to find healthy alternatives. Today, most of us have dual income or single income/parent households. This makes having dinner ready at 6pm extremely difficult. Most of the time its easiest to grab a pizza or a burger on the way home. Not only is it extremely expensive to eat fast but, its terribly unhealthy. There has to be an alternative.

When my son was born I made his baby food; steam, blend and eat! I bought mostly organic fruits and veggies, when they were available. It was super easy. As my son grew, I kept him on a mostly organic diet. To help with that, father allowed me to send food with him on their visits to keep him on a healthy and balanced menu. This worked well for the first three years, but, now that he's eating more and wants to eat prepared meals, its become difficult to send food because he doesn't like eating the same things twice in a row. So, started brainstorming ways to keep him on a healthy and nutritious diet. 

I decided that preparing food in bulk than freezing it would make the most sense. That way I can cook a few different items and and putting them into freezer containers to freeze for future use. Then when its time to eat, just pop em in the microwave! Sounded like a good idea! I went through my cook books and couldn't find much that I thought would freeze well. So, I went to my trusty amazon.com to see what they could offer. I found a decent array of 'cook now, freeze for later' books. I kept seeing "OAMC"  I discovered it was actually a phrase, Once a month cooking. I made a few extra clicks and to my delight, found a whole community of people who do this OAMC thing! It made me even more confident that freezing food for my son would actually work! I have no idea how easy or hard this will be. But, I found some very informative websites and I'm very excited to get started!

Once-a-month Cooking World
Ellens Kitchen, OAMC
Frugal Mom.net: once_a_month_cooking

Anyone wanna do it with me?!