A revision of Rachael Ray's BBQ Sloppy Chicken Pizza

This is a great "pizza" that I've made in the past using the originally called for ingredient of ground chicken. I decided tempeh would be the best substitute and I was right. You need a vegan corn bread mix and the only one I could found was by ChiChi. I omitted the can of creamed corn it called for and just added a cup of thawed frozen corn. I baked it for 40 minutes at 350 in a cast iron skillet. 

A bit dry looking….

About 15 minutes before the corn bread was done, I chopped up the tempeh and threw it into a dutch oven on medium-high heat. I added a splash of extra virgin olive oil to prevent burning.  Once it began to brown…..

I added chopped onion and red bell peppers and minced garlic. I let it cook about 5 minutes then added cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder. The recipe calls for 1 tbsp of chili powder, but that's too much for me. 

Once that had cooked for a few minutes I added the liquids: 1 small can of tomato sauce (unsalted), a dash of Uncle Frank's hot sauce, 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, a couple of squirts of maple agave syrup (instead of 3 tbsp of dark brown sugar)…..   Pile it all on the corn bread.

I used 1/2 Daiya Mozzarella and 1/2 Daiya Cheddar to top it….. It was about a cup of cheese all together.  Put it back in the oven until the cheese melts. It took about 10 minutes. 

 Finished product. Smells great.

It did not disappoint. Sweet corn bread and tangy sauce. Cheesy Daiya and spicy tempeh.  

More proof that you can go meatless and enjoy great food!

Creole Style Vegan Pasta

PASTA CREOLE WITH VEGAN SAUSAGE

Source: www.vegkitchen.com

Course: Main Course

Ingredients

• 10 to 12 ounces pasta any short shape
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 8 links vegan sausage sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 large onion quartered and sliced
• 2 large celery stalks diced
• 1 medium green diced or red bell pepper
• 28 -ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon each: dried basil and thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley or more, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook the pasta, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat half of the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the sausage slices over medium heat, turning gently to brown on both sides. Remove to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet. Add the onion and sauté until it is translucent. Add the celery and bell pepper and continue to sauté until the mixture is golden.
4. Add the tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
5. Combine the cooked pasta, sausage, and skillet mixture. Add the parsley and toss well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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I had no idea how good Tofurky brand sausage could be! I used the kielbasa and it was wonderful in this. This would probably fool a meat eater. I used one can fire roasted diced tomatoes and half a box of Pomi tomato puree rather than one large can of diced tomatoes. It still wasn't very saucy. The flavors were perfect. It made a ton of pasta.

Chocolate Cherry Muffins

Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Source: vegweb.com

Course: Breakfast

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup nondairy milk
• 1/3 cup vegan margarine
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cherries
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions

1. 1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin tin.
2. 2) In a large bowl combine first three ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the nondairy milk, "butter", sugar, lemon juice, and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir chips into batter. Gently fold in cherries.
3. 3) Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin come out clean. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes in pan and then turn out on a wire rack.

Amount Per Serving

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The original recipe called for raspberries, but I had frozen some fresh cherries a few weeks back and wanted to use them up. I thawed and chopped them up a bit. These are decadent and delicious. VERY chocolatey so you can use less chips if you want more of the cherry flavor. These are the first vegan muffins I've made and I'm sold! They are so moist and really easy to make. I can't wait to try more variations. Next time I'm going to try using agave or some other sugar substitute. I used Florida Crystals in this recipe.

Yellow Rice and Black Bean Burritos

YELLOW RICE AND BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

Source: www.vegkitchen.com

Course: Main Course

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 3/4 cup brown rice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper finely diced
• 1 small fresh hot chile seeded and minced,
• or one 4-ounce can chopped mild green chiles
• 15 - to 16-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 medium tomato diced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Eight 10-inch (burrito-sized) flour tortillas warmed
• Salsa Ranchera or store-bought salsa

Directions

1. Bring the water and bouillon cube to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the rice, cumin, and turmeric and simmer gently, covered, until the water is absorbed, about 35 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté until it is translucent. Add the garlic and bell pepper and sauté until the onion is golden.
3. Add the chile, beans, tomato, and oregano. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is well heated through and the tomato has softened, about 8 minutes.
4. To assemble, place a small amount each of the cooked rice and black bean mixture in the center of each tortilla. Add a stripe of salsa. Fold two opposite sides of the tortilla over the filling, then roll up starting from one of the open ends. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve at once.

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These were delicious and very easy to make. I used instant brown rice so it only took 5 minutes to cook the rice.

Baked Rice and Hummus

BAKED RICE WITH HUMMUS

Source: vegweb.com

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• 3 cups brown short grain rice
• hummus
• grated vegen cheddar cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 leek
• 2 spring onions or 1 onion
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• ground pepper

Directions

1. Start off by boiling the rice. Add rice to hummus and grated cheese.
2. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in pan. Saute garlic onions and leeks gently. Add carrot and green pepper and finally the zucchini. Cook for about 10 mins. Add tomato puree, vinegar and ground black pepper and leave to simmer for another 10 mins. Pre-heat oven to 350. Pour in half of the rice mixture in a casserole dish, then top with the sauce mixture. Finally finish off with the rest of the rice mixture and grated cheese on top. Cook in the oven for around 30 mins.

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Or use a jar of organic mariana sauce, which is what I did this time to save time. This dish was so good. Really outstanding. I never would have thought to mix hummus and rice but it made it so creamy. This is a wonderful and complete meal.

Mediterranean "Chicken" and Saffron Rice

My first foray into turning a cookbook meal, starting with a Rachael Ray cookbook, into a vegan meal is Mediterranean Chicken and Saffron Couscous Rice.   (Turns out my couscous had been in the pantry too long..there were….inhabitants. So rice it was!)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1 package of Morningstar "Chicken" Strips
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 pinch of saffron (I had red saffron)
• 4 garlic cloves, 1 crushed, 3 chopped
• 1 1/4 cup couscous brown instant rice
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 10 kalamata olives, pitted, cut in half ( I used a jar of pre-sliced and just scooped out a healthy spoons worth)
• 1/2 pint grape  tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 20 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Boil 2 cups vegetable broth with a pinch of saffron, 1 clove crushed garlic and some pepper.  Add rice to boiling liquid, cover and cook 5 minutes or until most of liquid has been absorbed and rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, heat up the "chicken" in a dutch oven, with some olive oil to prevent sticking/burning. Heat it until browned, which only takes about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.  Remove  "chicken" from pan and keep warm. 

In the dutch oven, add the extra virgin olive oil, onions and garlic and thyme. Let it cook until onions have softened then add the 1 cup vegetable stock and 1 cup of wine.  Add artichoke hearts, olives, and tomatoes and let it simmer until the liquid has reduced by half and the tomatoes burst open. 5-10 minutes.  Toss in the  "chicken", the rice, the basil and parsley and stir to combine.

Not having had artichokes before, and being a trying-to-reform picky order, I wasn't sure what to expect. But no one single flavor stood out here. It helped that I chopped the 'chokes up. It was a nice blend of everything. It was fragrant and really quite good. 

Vegan Eggplant Subs

This eggplant sub was a variant from a recipe in Clean Eating Magazine.  It was super messy but really good.

Preheat your oven to broil. Take one eggplant and cut into thin slices.  Spray them with an olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt. Spread the slices onto a baking sheet and broil them, 6 minutes, flipping them over half way.

Change the temp of the oven to 350.  (This would be a good time to put in some green beans to roast. Toss them with olive oil, garlic, and a little salt.)

While the eggplant is cooking, make the sauce. In a sauce pan heat up 2 cloves minced garlic in a splash of oil until garlic is cooked. Add tomato sauce (I like to use Pomi.) Season it with Italian Seasoning Herb Blend and 2 tbsp Vegan Parmesan Cheese. Let it simmer for a about 10 minutes.

Cut a whole grain french bread baguettes into sandwich sized pieces.  Split them open and assemble the sandwiches. Place sauce on bottom slices, top with eggplant, a bit more sauce, and sprinkle with vegan mozzarella cheese. Put the top slice on and place in oven for about 10 minutes.

Ingredients used:
Eggplant
Extra virgin olive oil, spray and oil
Salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Pomi tomato puree
Galaxy Foods Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Daiya Mozzarella shreds
1 teaspoon Italian Season Blend…..or thereabouts…..I didn't measure
Whole grain french bread baguette from grocery store bakery
Fresh green beans for roasting (an alternative to french fries)

Thai Chick'n Quesadilla

I found this recipe on Gardein's website but my grocery store didn't have their product so I bought Morningstar "chicken" strips, not the fried kind. I am so impressed with how….chickeny…..they were.

Take 1 package of the fake chicken and put it, frozen, into a frying pan on medium. You might want to add a little oil if you aren't using a non-stick pan. I added a pinch of smoked sea salt.  Cook until browned on all sides and take off of the heat.

Mix together:

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
Juice of one lime

Pour it on the chicken and mix until well coated.

Chop up some cilantro and green onions. You want about 4 tbsp of each.

Cheese is important here. I used Daiya mozzarella for mine and regular shredded mozzarella for B's.  1-2 cups of each is good.

Grab some whole wheat tortillas and heat up a pan.  Build your quesadillas:

1 tortilla in pan, topped with a sprinkle of cheese, then the chicken mix, then the onions and cilantro, followed by more cheese and a final tortilla.  Cook until the tortilla gets browned and then flip carefully. I say that because cheese will go flying if you just slap it down

Slice it up and serve. Great for lunch or supper.

Delicious.  You'd think the hot sauce would make it too spicy but it was just right. The peanut butter must balance the heat.   I plan on taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Taco Layer Dip with Gardein

This was a fast recipe using Gardein "burgers." While I find them too smokey as a standalone, they were great in this.

Heat up the burgers in a pan, breaking them up into crumbles. Season it with salt, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tsp oregano and 2 tsp paprika.

Dice a green bell pepper and tomato and toss them in the pan to heat through.

Heat up some refried beans.

In a shallow dish layer the "meat" first, then a layer of cheddar cheese. I did half with dairy cheese and half with Daiya. Top with refried beans and then a layer of kidney beans, which have been drained and rinsed. Top that with your fave toppings. Avocado, tomatoes, onions, olives....Somehow I bought chopped olives instead of sliced. I also added some cilantro.

Serve with blue corn chips, because they are pretty. Vegan sour cream is also an option.

Gardein burgers crumbled and spiced.

Cooked "meat" with peppers and tomato.

Added extra tomatoes on half for the tomato lover in the family.

Black Beans and Polenta

Keeping things brief as the toddler is tired and cranky!

I have this recipe for black bean polenta cakes but it involves letting the mix set for an hour and I didn't have that kind of time so I just threw all of the ingredients into a pot and ate it as a mush. And it was great. Funny how all the foods I've been making lately make such great comfort food. I always miss those I've lost around this time of year (more than usual) so I guess I was needing it.

Take 1 pre-made polenta "log" and mash it up in a pot with a little bit of water. Just enough to get it less solid. Add a can of rinsed black beans, 1/2 cup salsa and a handful of chopped cilantro. Toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes and serve with sour cream (vegan of course.) I think this was the fastest thing I've ever made. Very little clean up too.

This would be great as a casserole, topped with Vegan cheddar.

Tofu Rancheros: Vegetarian Times

Vegetarian Times Recipe

Wanting to try out more tofu recipes I thought this one sounded pretty simple and tasty. I was right. Tofu is the perfect substitute for scrambled eggs. The texture is perfect and tofu basically taste like what ever you make with it. 

Here's what I did:

• 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, minced (1 cup)
• 1 Tbs. Ancho chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 cup diced extra-firm tofu (14 oz.), press the tofu before dicing to get as much liquid out as possible.
• Juice of one lime
• 1 15-oz. can Vegan Refried Beans, warmed
• 6 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 tomatoes, diced (2 cups)
• 1 avocado, diced (1 cup)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

First you need to get some of the moisture out of the tofu. Wrap it in a clean towel or paper towels and place it on a plate. Put another plate on top and weight it down. Let it sit at least 20 minutes.  Unwrap it and dice it up or just crumble it. 

Saute the onions in the olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder and oregano. I also added a pinch of salt.  Stir to coat the onions then add the tomato sauce, lime juice and the tofu. Stir to combine. Let it simmer for 10 minutes while you work on the rest.

Put the vegetable oil in a skillet and heat on medium-high. Cook the corn tortillas one at a time in the oil until they get crispy.  Or just skip this part and by tortilla chips. That is probably what I'll do next time because at the frying was smokey work!

Heat up the refried beans.  Spread the beans on each tortilla and top with a spoonful of the tofu mixture. Top with your favorite toppings such as diced tomatoes, avocado and cilantro.  (I chopped up the cilantro and added it to the sauce because B. and I eat at different times and I knew he wouldn't go to the trouble to chop up cilantro. It worked fine.)

Yummy tummy! (as my 2 year old would say)

This was filling and would make a great comfort food. It could be for breakfast, lunch or supper. 

Rachael Ray Vegan Make-over?

When I first discovered that I loved to cook, it was Rachael Ray's cooking show, 30 Minute Meals that motivated me. I know she bugs a lot of people but I have never made a recipe that we didn't like. When I "went vegan" I thought I would have to give away my cookbooks. Not just RR's either. But tonight I was thinking about her Smokey Turkey Shepherd's Pie, a family favorite. And I thought, what if I tried to veganize it? And then...what I tried to make ALL of them vegan friendly? I grabbed the closest cookbook, RR's Book of 10. Glancing through it made it clear this would be a challenge. Almost every recipe has either meat or dairy. Some things are easy to substitute with things like tofu or soy milk. Others...not so much. And then there are some recipes that simply don't appeal to me. I'm not really a soup person.

So ok. It won't be every recipe. But I believe I will attempt one recipe a week and see if I can successfully make it vegan.

Stay tuned.....

Spinach and Bean Quesadilla

Spinach and Bean Quesadillas

Source: vegweb.com

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach defrosted OR fresh baby spinach
• 1 (15 ounce) can fava beans or black beans
• garlic to taste
• cumin to taste
• chili powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil as needed or cooking spray
• 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded vegan cheese divided
• tortillas to serve

Directions

1. 1. Using blender, add spinach and half the beans with some of their liquid. Pulse until smooth, then add rest of beans.
2. 2. Add in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper all according to your taste. Pulse in blender briefly. Meanwhile, heat frying pan on medium high with your choice of oil.
3. 3. Pour blender mixture into bowl and add peppers, salsa, and one cup of vegan cheese. Mix well. (you can even make this the night before if you like.)
4. 4. Spread some mixture on 1/2 tortilla, and sprinkle extra cheese on top of mixture. Fold tortilla in half and cook a few minutes on each side until golden brown

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This was tasty and easy. I used about a tablespoon of cumin and a teaspoon of Ancho Chile Powder. I used Navy Beans and baby spinach. Daiya Cheddar rounded it out.

Vegetable and Rice Casserole

Here is another recipe I found on vegweb.com. Jotting this down via my iPhone before I forget.

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 zucchini, chopped
16 oz salsa
1 cup vegan cheddar (Daiya rocks!)

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the beans and salsa on the stovetop about 5 minutes and then add the other veggies. Cook them until slightly softened, 5-10 minutes. Add the rice and mix. Place in a casserole dish, mine was 9x9. Top with cheese. I divided the cheese and put some in the middle so the cheesy taste would be all through it. Bake 20 minutes.

The zucchini and peppers stayed a bit crunchy, which I prefer, so cook them longer if you like them softer.

I am not a fan of broccoli. Luckily, I couldn't taste it. So this is a good way to get a dreaded vegetable into a picky child (or adult). Just chop it up fine and maybe they won't notice. This would make a great burrito filling, which would also make the veggies even more hidden.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Chana Masala

This is easily one of the best things I've ever made. It is seasoned perfectly and is perfect comfort food.  I found the recipe in Alicia Silverstone's cookbook The Kind Diet. Having never tried eggplant I thought this would be the perfect introduction since it's pretty much drowned in spices and other flavors. 

Ingredients

• 1 lg onion roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp curry powder or to taste
• 1-2 tsp cumin (I used 2)
• 1 lg eggplant peeled and chopped into 1/2
• 1-15 oz cans chickpeas drained
• 1-14 oz cans peeled tomatoes drained and chopped
• 1 can vegetarian chili
• 1 lg handful chopped fresh cilantro-1/2c
• a pinch of smoked sea salt (My addition)

I served this with wild grain and brown rice, which was perfect.

First sauté the onions and garlic in the oil until softened. Add the spices and mix well.  Add the eggplant and cook until softened. Next add the chick peas, tomatoes and chili. Stir well and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Top with cilantro and sea salt before serving over rice. 

I can't wait to try this in a tortilla tomorrow for lunch. 

  

Stuffed Zuchinni Lunch and Plan To Eat

There was one chorizo stuffed zucchini left over so I chopped it up and added some of the Cheeze Sauce from a different meal.  Heated it up and put it in a flatbread. That's one of the things I am loving about vegan cooking. Almost everything I make works the next day in a tortilla or a sandwich.

I've found Plan To Eat, a meal planner and recipe keeper, that makes planning meals fun again. Coming up:

Eggplant Chana Masala
Black Bean and Rice Casserole
Spinach and Bean Quesadillas
Chickpea Summer Burrito
Black Bean Polenta Cakes

What are you making?

Chorizo Stuffed Zuchinni

Ever head of The Sexy Vegan? He has a YouTube channel and a cookbook. I found this recipe while looking around and decided to try it out. It's really great. The only thing I would change next time is the amount of cloves. It really stood out.

Ingredients

• 3 large zucchinis split lengthwise, seeds scooped out
• 8 ounces tempeh, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 pinches cinnamon
• 2 pinches salt
• couple grinds of pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• couple splashes of red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese of your choosing ( I used Daiya mozzarella)
• teaspoon olive oil

Put a little oil on the zucchini and grill them face down for a few minutes to soften them. You can use a grill pan. 

 Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350.  In a bowl add the tempeh and spices and moosh up. 

 Cook it in an oiled skillet until browned.  Add the veggie stock and the red wine vinegar and cook until the liquid cooks out. 

This happened very quickly. About 5 minutes. 

Remove it from the heat and add the cheese. Stir to blend and then spoon it onto the zucchini. Top with a bit more cheese and

 bake for 10 minutes. The recipe calls for mango salsa to go on top but mangos make my mouth itch so I went with regular salsa. 

The original recipe called for sherry vinegar but I wasn't in the mood to spend $8 for an ingredient I wouldn't use that often.

 

Tasty!