Unfortunately, I've now learned baking vegan goodies is the easiest thing ever. Or maybe with the holidays upon us, it is a good thing. With buttery vegan sticks from Earth Balance and 1/4 c. silken tofu to replace 1 egg, you can take most any standard recipe and get a respectable baked good. Case in point (and perhaps my most successful ever)--banana chocolate chip muffins adapted from a banana bread recipe I found on epicurious.com. Here goes:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. toasted walnuts
1 T. flour
1/2 c. vegan margarine (1 stick of Earth Balance buttery sticks)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. silken tofu
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas
2 T. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together first four ingredients in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Next mix chocolate chips, walnuts and 1 T. flour together in a small bowl. Make sure toasted walnuts have cooled completely. In yet another small bowl mash bananas.
In large mixing bowl, beat margarine until creamy (with electric mixer) and gradually add in sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in tofu and vanilla. Beat in bananas and lemon juice; followed by flour mixture.
By hand stir in chips and walnuts. Bake in muffin pan (use either paper baking cups or spray pan with nonsstick cooking spray) for about 20 minutes or so--just until brown. I hate to say I didn't time these and original recipe was no help since it called for baking in loaf pan.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Bridging with Burgers
I love grilling "burgers" of all kinds because it is an easy way to bridge everyone's eating styles. I've made regular burgers for my two meat eaters and then portabello mushroom burgers for Will and I who are eating vegan. And easy--I've been marinating the mushrooms in balsamic salad dressing. I've posted the recipe for the dressing before. But when fixing it for marinade, I don't pay so much attention to proportions. I just mix a dollop of dijon, a teaspoon or so of brown sugar, then pour in roughly 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and 3-6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Choose portabellos roughly the same size as your burger buns. let them marinate 30 minutes-1 hour then toss on the grill. They are great. Ross has been having a double burger--meat and portabello. Easy and not much to clean up when you are grilling. My idea of great weekend cooking.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Back to school cookies!
We had about three coolish days (93 degrees--seemed so fall like!) and I thought about how I hadn't baked anything since the Fourth of July so I pulled out a new cookbook, La Dolce Vegan! Not only is it a pretty entertaining cookbook, it has a healthy (no not healthy as in low fat good for you; healthy as in chunky) section on desserts and decided to try these chocolate chip cookies. They are a little less sweet than regular chocolate chip cookies and have a cakier texture and little less fat than regular chocolate chip cookies. But very good with a glass of soy milk and I have to say, the uncooked dough was excellent!
Rachel's Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 c. vegan margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. silken tofu
3/4 c. Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a food processor, blend together the sugar, margarine, vanilla, and tofu until smooth. Add the tofu mixture and chocolate chips to the flour/soda/salt, and stir well. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough on cookie sheat; press down with fingers. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool before removing from baking sheet. Makes 24 cookies.
Rachel's Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 c. vegan margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. silken tofu
3/4 c. Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a food processor, blend together the sugar, margarine, vanilla, and tofu until smooth. Add the tofu mixture and chocolate chips to the flour/soda/salt, and stir well. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough on cookie sheat; press down with fingers. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool before removing from baking sheet. Makes 24 cookies.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Green Chile Season Has Begun!
When I lived in New Mexico, green chile season was a great time of year. The days had started cooling off a bit after the summer monsoon season (which meant about 4 drops of rain every afternoon in July and August) and the smell of roasting green chiles was everywhere. This year I knew chile season had begun when Al's Aunt Jane called to tell us she had left us a freezer full of green chiles in Verdin, NM at Al's dad's house and asked when were we coming to get it. Until Al and Ross make that trip, I'll have to depend on Central Market. They had their green chile roasters out on Saturday so I bought a big bag full and made these wonderful enchiladas. I did put cheese in the boys' pan, but left mine fully vegan. So good and worth the effort and several dirty pans that result!
Green Chile Enchiladas
For sauce:
1 1/2 pound roasted green chile, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 T. olive or canola oil
2 T. flour
16 oz. vegetable broth
Salt to taste
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes; add chiles and saute for a few minutes more. Sprinkle mixture with flour, then stir in and let it cook a minute or so before adding broth. Stir well so there is no lumpy flour and add salt to taste. Let cook on very low heat for another 15 minutes or so. Add water if needed. You want the consistency of stew--not too runny and not too thick. Set aside.
For filling:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 portabello mushroom, grilled and chopped
1/2 red pepper, grilled and chopped
1 T. olive or canola oil
Saute onion in oil for a few minutes. Add beans, mushroom, and red pepper. Cook for a minute or two more until warmed. Set aside.
Soften 18 or so corn tortillas by dipping briefly in hot oil. I usually do all of them at once and let them drain on paper towels. (I hate to be too specific about the number because it is going to depend on how fat you want your enchiladas and if you add cheese to each enchilada with the vegetable filling, you are going to get a bigger batch of enchiladas than if you just use vegan filling.). In 9 x 13 baking dish roll enchiladas by starting with tortilla and putting in desired amount of vegetable filling (and grated cheese if you want just vegetarian enchiladas). After all are rolled, pour green chile sauce over all. You can top with additional cheese if you are going the non vegan route and additional chopped onion if you are going either vegan or vegetarian. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until bubbly.
Happy Chile Season!
Green Chile Enchiladas
For sauce:
1 1/2 pound roasted green chile, peeled, de-seeded, and chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 T. olive or canola oil
2 T. flour
16 oz. vegetable broth
Salt to taste
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes; add chiles and saute for a few minutes more. Sprinkle mixture with flour, then stir in and let it cook a minute or so before adding broth. Stir well so there is no lumpy flour and add salt to taste. Let cook on very low heat for another 15 minutes or so. Add water if needed. You want the consistency of stew--not too runny and not too thick. Set aside.
For filling:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
1 portabello mushroom, grilled and chopped
1/2 red pepper, grilled and chopped
1 T. olive or canola oil
Saute onion in oil for a few minutes. Add beans, mushroom, and red pepper. Cook for a minute or two more until warmed. Set aside.
Soften 18 or so corn tortillas by dipping briefly in hot oil. I usually do all of them at once and let them drain on paper towels. (I hate to be too specific about the number because it is going to depend on how fat you want your enchiladas and if you add cheese to each enchilada with the vegetable filling, you are going to get a bigger batch of enchiladas than if you just use vegan filling.). In 9 x 13 baking dish roll enchiladas by starting with tortilla and putting in desired amount of vegetable filling (and grated cheese if you want just vegetarian enchiladas). After all are rolled, pour green chile sauce over all. You can top with additional cheese if you are going the non vegan route and additional chopped onion if you are going either vegan or vegetarian. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes until bubbly.
Happy Chile Season!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
It's all about the dress(ing)
I was off to San Diego last week for four days, thinking that SD would be a vegan friendly type of place. I was kind of wrong about that and ended up having some feta cheese at two different meals. But my E2 guy is perfectly okay with being a bit flexible, attempting to eat a plant-based program most of the time. One result of the SD trip was photos taken of me--I have so few photos taken that I don't realize how bad I look, even after going vegan for a good month now. So it's time to go cold turkey on those yummy ice cream substitutes and other desserts and stick to the low fat E2 diet. Luckily, I really do love salads in just about any shape or form. I had a really wonderful roasted beet salad (red and yellow beets!) in SD which I've been wanting to re-create but haven't gotten around to yet due to having tons of freelance work this month in addition to the ol' job. I did come across this salad dressing, perhaps best described as a cross-dressing ranch (it looks like it but not quite the real thing). It is thankfully light--only 19 calories & 1 gram of fat for 2 T. and fairly tasty. It is made with silken tofu which I've come to learn is the go-to tofu for any creamy delectable such as vegan sour cream, vegan pudding, vegan mayo and now salad dressing. And I actually have been keeping it on hand, which is a big plus! It could be more flavorful with more tahini but that would also up the fat and calorie count.
6 ounces lite firm silken tofu (1/2 pkg. of Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tahini
2 green onions, white parts removed, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, packed
1 large clove garlic
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
6 ounces lite firm silken tofu (1/2 pkg. of Mori-Nu)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tahini
2 green onions, white parts removed, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, packed
1 large clove garlic
Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Muffin Mania
One of the more "difficult" (and I put it in quotations because it isn't that difficult) things about following the vegan diet is that I'm doing lots of double cooking, especially on the weekends. Although, I think the breadwinner is beginning to come around, admitting today that perhaps no red meat is the way to go healthwise.
The three men in my family are accustomed to having rather large breakfasts on the weekend. On Saturdays it generally means eggs and muffins or biscuits and on Sundays waffles and bacon. The breadwinner and Gigi, our old retriever (who is here by my feet snoring LOUDLY), are muffin maniacs. I usually bake a batch of muffins each Saturday for their morning snacking throughout the week. Last week I fell down on the job and left them both rooting around in the kitchen every morning for a suitable substitute (to which they agreed there was none). I've been trying vegan muffin recipes so here's the latest offering. But before I begin recipe, I must mention that I turned on the oven and then walked around the corner to Tony's store for a single ingredient. The trip takes all of five minutes. When I came back, the breadwinner had turned off the oven because "it was getting hot." Duh--that was the point the dear. It's a good thing I'm the cook in the family. We would all starve otherwise.
Cherry Streusel Muffins
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh cherries, pitted & roughly chopped
1/3 c. safflower oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. soy milk
1/3 c. orange juice
Streusel topping
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. shredded coconut (which I omitted due to a certain someone's distaste for all things coconut)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. earth balance margarine (or some other vegan butter substitute)
Preheat ove to 450. Spray muffin tin with canola oil spray or use paper cupcake/muffin cups to line the muffin tin. In mixing bowl, whisk milk, oil, and orange juice. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into wet ingredients. Fold in cherries and spoon into prepared muffin pan. Combine streusel ingreddients, mashing with fork until mixture is crumbly. Top each muffin with streusel mixture and bake 18-20 minutes.
The three men in my family are accustomed to having rather large breakfasts on the weekend. On Saturdays it generally means eggs and muffins or biscuits and on Sundays waffles and bacon. The breadwinner and Gigi, our old retriever (who is here by my feet snoring LOUDLY), are muffin maniacs. I usually bake a batch of muffins each Saturday for their morning snacking throughout the week. Last week I fell down on the job and left them both rooting around in the kitchen every morning for a suitable substitute (to which they agreed there was none). I've been trying vegan muffin recipes so here's the latest offering. But before I begin recipe, I must mention that I turned on the oven and then walked around the corner to Tony's store for a single ingredient. The trip takes all of five minutes. When I came back, the breadwinner had turned off the oven because "it was getting hot." Duh--that was the point the dear. It's a good thing I'm the cook in the family. We would all starve otherwise.
Cherry Streusel Muffins
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh cherries, pitted & roughly chopped
1/3 c. safflower oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. soy milk
1/3 c. orange juice
Streusel topping
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. shredded coconut (which I omitted due to a certain someone's distaste for all things coconut)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3 T. earth balance margarine (or some other vegan butter substitute)
Preheat ove to 450. Spray muffin tin with canola oil spray or use paper cupcake/muffin cups to line the muffin tin. In mixing bowl, whisk milk, oil, and orange juice. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into wet ingredients. Fold in cherries and spoon into prepared muffin pan. Combine streusel ingreddients, mashing with fork until mixture is crumbly. Top each muffin with streusel mixture and bake 18-20 minutes.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Planning ahead
My friend Carolyn and I had emailed back and forth today about a few things. She is the one who originally got me interested in the E2 diet. She mentioned that she was worried about planning for vegan meals once school starts back up (she is a head start teacher). And she was right--planning ahead is important especially since we're fairly new to this way of eating. I have had a super hectic week thus far and had very little in the house in the way of food until my trip to Central Market this evening. My fall back on these super hectic days is hummus and nuts for a snack or source of protein and steamed vegetables and rice for a quick dinner. I've been keeping frozen brown rice on hand (you can buy it frozen in microwavable bags) for those evenings when I come home really hungry. By cutting the vegetables into small pieces they steam really quickly and the rice takes only 2-3 minutes in the microwave. The only thing quicker is a hippie sandwich with hummus, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Groovy!
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