14 posts tagged “edamame”
Yes, I know, I made another quiche! I can't help it. A quiche is such a all-in-one-bowl kind of comfort food and we are such all-in-one-bowl-please kind of people. Every time we eat these homemade vegan quiches, we remark that they are invariably lighter than we imagined, although they are very gratifying. So far I have never used any store-bought pie crust, and I don't plan to, so I get to experiment with all different types of crusts, which is fun as well.
I studied the following three recipes for a while and compared them carefully, but didn't find a single recipe satisfying on its own. In the end, I decided to combine all three recipes and change them.
1. Classic Broccoli Quiche by Isa (PPK)
2. Veggie Quiche by Dr. Stonielove
3. Tofu Quiche with Spinach, Broccoli & Red Pepper by Rowena of "Life Is Better Vegan"
So that's how the mixed veggie quiche came about. Without further ado, this is what I did to make this vegan quiche.
Mixed Veggie Quiche
(Makes 8 servings)
What you need:
Pie Crust:
150g white whole wheat flour
50g all-purpose flour
100g Earth Balance butter [soft or firm]
4-6 Tbsp. water (I used 6 Tbsp.)
I studied the following three recipes for a while and compared them carefully, but didn't find a single recipe satisfying on its own. In the end, I decided to combine all three recipes and change them.
1. Classic Broccoli Quiche by Isa (PPK)
2. Veggie Quiche by Dr. Stonielove
3. Tofu Quiche with Spinach, Broccoli & Red Pepper by Rowena of "Life Is Better Vegan"
So that's how the mixed veggie quiche came about. Without further ado, this is what I did to make this vegan quiche.
(Makes 8 servings)
What you need:
Pie Crust:
150g white whole wheat flour
50g all-purpose flour
100g Earth Balance butter [soft or firm]
4-6 Tbsp. water (I used 6 Tbsp.)
Mixed Veggie Filling:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups mixed gourmet mushrooms (baby bellas, chanterelle, shiitake mushrooms)
3 cups finely chopped broccoli
1/3 cup fresh edamame
1 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
Quiche Mix:
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup plain soy milk
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp. agar powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
Healthy dose fresh cracked black pepper
What you do:
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Whisk flours to combine well. Rub pieces of the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add enough water to make a dough, knead well and roll on a floured surface to fit a pie pan or quiche dish. Grease the pan and bake the pastry blind at 425F degrees for 10 minutes. When done, cool the pie crust on a rack.
Lower the oven temperature to 350F. Don't turn it off.
Saute the onion, garlic, green onions, red pepper, and mushrooms for about 10-12 minutes until the mushrooms have released some juice. Add thyme and tarragon and continue to cook for a minute. Add broccoli and edamame and cook for another 3-4 minutes. If you want your vegetables rather on the crispy and fresh side, remove from heat now. Otherwise, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and cook for 5 more minutes. When done, remove from heat and set aside.
In a food processor, blend smoothly all the ingredients for the Quiche Mix and 2/3 cup of the Mixed Veggie Filling. When done, mix this mixture with the remainder of the Mixed Veggie Filling very well. At this point, you should taste to adjust the seasoning.
Pour into the pastry crust and bake at 350F degrees for 45-50 minutes, depending on your oven, until edges of the pie are lightly browned.
Let the quiche sit for 20 minutes before you dig in. It is very easy to cut then. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I don't know where to begin. This is my first Daring Bakers challenge, and this month saw the launch of the new Web site of the Daring Kitchen. That's right! It's not just for Daring Bakers any more. In April the first Daring Cooks challenge will be revealed. In case you are wondering, I did sign up for the Daring Cooks challenge as well. So I'll be a very busy bee in the kitchen from now on. A huge Thank-You to Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice and Lisa of La Mia Cucina for starting these challenges.
The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.
Lasagne is a dish that few people can resist. It has certainly transcended the borders. As my first Daring Bakers challenge, I was really excited to try my hands on a savory dish instead of a giant cake that will tempt me for two weeks and increase my waistline further more. As vegans, we have always loved lasagne as a all-time favorite in our family. It's creamy, yummy, doughy, and filling. What more can we really ask for?
Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time
10 quarts (9 litres) water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
1 recipe Lentil-Mushroom Ragu
6 pieces vegan Mozzarella cheese
The biggest challenge for me this time is to make fresh homemade pasta from scratch. Thank God, Bryanna already solved this problem for us vegans long time ago. I simply used her recipe with 10 oz. fresh spinach (dried as much as possible and really finely chopped). The dough was surprisingly easy to make and extremely pliable. Below is my fresh pasta dough ball after kneading and before resting. I'll definitely try to make some vegan ravioli with the same recipe. Even rolling out the pasta noodles was much easier than I thought. I didn't break any piece, amazingly.
The Bechamel Sauce was comparatively really easy. I simply subbed Earth Balance butter and soy milk. It's a very simple but delicious white sauce.
For the Ragu, I found an excellent vegan Lentil-Mushroom Ragu recipe recommended by other Alternative Daring Bakers. It was really tasty and had a great meaty texture. The original recipe called for puy lentils but I only had red lentils in the cabinet (my mistake). It didn't affect the taste much, and I added some fresh edamame to add a little more toothsome texture.
I must admit that assembling the lasagne turned out to be a little more work than I imagined. Since the fresh pasta cooked really fast (5 seconds) in boiling water - because the noodles were rolled to be really thin (newspaper transparency), I decided to cook each layer of noodles and assemble right away. It was a good thing that I made the sauces before cooking the pasta. All I remember now is that it was layer after layer and layer after layer. I topped the lasagne with six big pieces of vegan mozzarella cheese, which turned out to be a perfect addition to the overall flavors.
I was really blown away by the taste of this lasagne. The fresh pasta was really doughy and had a wonderfully earthy taste from the spinach in the dough. The Ragu and Bechamel Sauces mixed with the spinach pasta created such a symphony of different flavors and the whole dish simply melted in our mouths.
It took me altogether six hours and a half to finish the whole challenge, and the time wasn't mostly inactive waiting time. It was really hard work, which I already knew before joining the Daring Bakers challenge. But it was so worth every minute of work! Now I don't know how I can ever go back to eating dried lasagne noodles. Next time I'll make the sauces one day in advance and make plenty of fresh pasta and freeze some.
Maybe you will be interested in checking out the new Daring Kitchen Web site. You can also be a member if you dare to dream a little. You will certainly have many nice eats and treats, I promise you. :)
Lasagne is a dish that few people can resist. It has certainly transcended the borders. As my first Daring Bakers challenge, I was really excited to try my hands on a savory dish instead of a giant cake that will tempt me for two weeks and increase my waistline further more. As vegans, we have always loved lasagne as a all-time favorite in our family. It's creamy, yummy, doughy, and filling. What more can we really ask for?
Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time
10 quarts (9 litres) water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce
1 recipe Lentil-Mushroom Ragu
6 pieces vegan Mozzarella cheese
The biggest challenge for me this time is to make fresh homemade pasta from scratch. Thank God, Bryanna already solved this problem for us vegans long time ago. I simply used her recipe with 10 oz. fresh spinach (dried as much as possible and really finely chopped). The dough was surprisingly easy to make and extremely pliable. Below is my fresh pasta dough ball after kneading and before resting. I'll definitely try to make some vegan ravioli with the same recipe. Even rolling out the pasta noodles was much easier than I thought. I didn't break any piece, amazingly.
Maybe you will be interested in checking out the new Daring Kitchen Web site. You can also be a member if you dare to dream a little. You will certainly have many nice eats and treats, I promise you. :)
I guess this soup came about purely because I thought of a future where I would be visiting Italy one day, within the next 5 years, if Europe would not sink deeper into its depressed state. In any case, I am totally in love with minestrone right now.
Edamame Minestrone
(Makes 7-8 servings)
2 medium yellow onions, quartered and then sliced thinly
7-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced
4 large stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups portabella mushrooms, finely chopped
8 tomatoes, roughly chopped and juice reserved
1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh thyme, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
7-8 cups water
1 medium cabbage, leaves torn off and cut into bite-size pieces
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups cooked edamame
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrots and mushrooms over medium heat
for about 10-12 minutes until the mushrooms have released quite a bit
of the juice.
2. Add tomatoes and herbs and cover. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Uncover. Add water and cabbage. Turn heat to high to reach a slow
boil. Reduce heat
to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for another 15 minutes.
5.
Add edamame to the stock and heat through. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I have been cooking but it has become rather hard to keep up posting more often. We always seem to have many things piling up onto the to-do lists. "It's always something" has been such a cliche in our household now. I didn't have time to come up with any new recipe. Nor did I participate in any cooking contest like I planned. I cooked from cookbooks and my recipe collection. Alas! 'Tis life. We ought to be grateful for what we have though. My husband and I have begun our little "self-compliment" group, inspired by LaidOutInLavendar. It is not easy at all. Gosh, I never knew it could this hard to say a few nice things about ourselves without feeling weird or discouraged. But we are trying. It's much easier to compliment each other, but when it comes down to the self-compliment... I guess we just don't know ourselves well enough.
Anyway, here comes the food porn, as usual. The first thing is from VwaV, page 28, "Fronch" Toast. It was great, but next time I will definitely add some cinnamon and nutmet to make it more traditional.
The second thing is Bryanna's Hunan Tofu. I made this before, a long while ago that I can't even remember. This time I didn't even fry the tofu beforehand because I wanted more of a soft and juicy texture. It turned out even better than I remembered. Surely a keeper!
This is one of those recipes that I knew it sounded crazy but would absolutely taste great. Good Tempeh, Mushroom and Potato Stew by Megan the Vegan. I didn't use any carrot or peanut butter but added some edamame. I subbed sesame tahini and peanut satay sauce. It was a really meaty and healthy stew.
Oh, where did I go? I don't know how I just don't seem to have enough time to blog more often nowadays. I gotta quit the fast lane, as soon as possible, for my sanity. The good news is that we will have our long vacation very soon, in August. I didn't cook much, but I did conjure up a new vegetable stew for myself. It's really effective for losing a few pounds since summer is more or less here.
Spring Detox Vegetable Stew
(makes 7-8 servings)
1 large yellow onion, cut into half moons
3 green bell peppers, julienned
8 garlic bulbs, pressed
2 Russet potatoes, cubed
4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped and juice reserved
1/2 hot water
1 large zucchini, halved and then sliced thinly
2 bunches of asparagus, tips reserved and the rest cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup fresh edamame, rinsed
1/2 cup (tightly packed) fresh basil, torn into pieces
6-7 fresh sage leaves, torn into pieces
3 green bell peppers, julienned
8 garlic bulbs, pressed
2 Russet potatoes, cubed
4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped and juice reserved
1/2 hot water
1 large zucchini, halved and then sliced thinly
2 bunches of asparagus, tips reserved and the rest cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup fresh edamame, rinsed
1/2 cup (tightly packed) fresh basil, torn into pieces
6-7 fresh sage leaves, torn into pieces
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic for about 10 minutes until softened.
2. Add potatoes and cook covered for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and hot water. Mix well and cook covered for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add zucchini, asparagus and edamame and mix well. Cook for another 10 minutes on low-medium heat.
5. Add herbs, mix and heat through. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic for about 10 minutes until softened.
2. Add potatoes and cook covered for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and hot water. Mix well and cook covered for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add zucchini, asparagus and edamame and mix well. Cook for another 10 minutes on low-medium heat.
5. Add herbs, mix and heat through. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
I had this veggie stew in the beginning of a difficult diet. It helped quite a bit because it was very satisfying but pretty light. Of course, I haven't been all that disciplined. I wish I had just stayed with vegetables alone. But making Lolo's Easy Tarte aux Pommes is a great pleasure, before, during, and after the process. It was really easy to make, and it smelled good and tasted good. If you want a little treat for your weariness after a long day, make this and you will have a smile on the face when you dig your fork into it.
And I'm ashamed to report that I also made the vegan English muffins again. I ate them with a lot of vegan margarine and apricot preserves. This was obviously for a fattening diet.
Until then, you all take care! I hope I won't disappear for long again.
In a desperate search for a green-heavy meal option, I dug out a really valuable recipe - Spring Green Quinoa - by Susan Voisin of Fatfree Vegan Kitchen that I had saved recently. I was so glad that I could kill two birds with one stone this time: a) I bought some fresh edamame, lots of asparagus and four large zucchini, so I would hate to waste them; b) we are trying to eat less wheat and more whole grains with more greens. Spring Green Quinoa offers a very wholesome and toothsome experience. I didn't have enough quinoa for this recipe (1/4 cup short) so I added in some white jasmine rice, otherwise this recipe could be gluten-free as well as wheat-free. I used more edamame and doubled the asparagus, and subbed one fresh Roma tomato with two teaspoons of tomato paste since I didn't have any sundried tomatoes left. Fresh basil also added more garden-feeling to the whole dish. This is definitely a keeper, especially when we have not been disciplined in our diet.
I also made a tofu dish - Coconut Tofu with Curry Dipping Sauce. The recipe came from Tofu of "what the hell DOES a vegan eat anyway?", one of my favorite vegan foodblogs. Unfortunately, I didn't do justice to this great recipe. Some of the shredded coconut came off in the frying pan so the bare marinated tofu looked more brown than golden (compare with Tofu's photo). But the tofu was really tasty. It's like eating tofu and a coconut dessert at the same time.
Lastly, I yielded to the temptation and made another batch of vegan English muffins. Yes, they are that good with vegan margarine!
I don't know how this happened but we suddenly got busy a couple of days ago so I had to skip the 14th and 15th things-a-day. I was planning on making one more Valentine's dessert. I can still do it in the next few days. Today I have a very fast recipe to share with you. When you get busy and don't feel like making something complicated or time-consuming, this is the one for you. It took me only 15 minutes to make altogether including waiting for a pot of water to boil. And it was such a delicious and healthy meal on a cold wintry morning.
Udon Noodles with Brussels Sprouts, Bean Sprouts and Edamame
(serves 1, but you can easily double it)
This noodle bowl has a very toothsome texture because of the edamame (fresh soy beans) which I love. You can use fresh or frozen edamame. Feel free to alter any ingredient or the amount to suit your taste.
1 package of "instant" udon noodles (enough for 1 person)
8-9 shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean* (see notes below)
5 oz. Brussels sprouts
4 oz. soybean sprouts
1 package of fresh spinach
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1.5 Tbsp. mushroom dark soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1. In a pot, boil 8 cups of water together with shiitake mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and soybean sprouts. (You can adjust the amount of water according to the vegetables you choose.)
2. When the water boils, add udon noodles. Mine takes only 3 minutes to cook. Towards the end throw in spinach. Drain when the noodles are cooked.
3. Mix in olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, coriander and black pepper. Stir well and serve immediately. Enjoy!
* Generally you shouldn't wash mushrooms as they soak too much water and become mushy very quickly. Use a paper towel to wipe them clean.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Brussels sprouts taste very good in this noodle bowl too. No bitterness at all.
I was really busy because of some more family obligations. Both of us didn't sleep much since we woke up so freaking early at 4 in the morning. The whole day we felt like zombies. I did make an Italian savory cake - Ligurian Savory Cakes or Croquettes - based on Bryanna's recipe (pages 144-145) in Nonna's Italian Kitchen. It was very good, to say the least. I loved the texture and I packed a lot of vegetables into the savory cake. It was fun to make as well. Below is my version of this savory cake.
Ligurian Savory Cakes or Croquettes
(Tortini o Polpettone di Liguria)
(Tortini o Polpettone di Liguria)
Makes a 10-inch cake
The picture on the right doesn't show clearly. Basically there are three layers: bread crumbs on the bottom, a frittata-like batter in the middle, and more bread crumbs and black pepper on top.
Batter:
1 pound extra-firm tofu, patted dry and crumbled
1/6 cup silken tofu (the vacuum-packed type)
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. white pepper
Additions:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8-9 shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup of fresh edamame, shelled and rinsed
2 cups of cooked (or leftover) pasta (elbows)
3/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Crust and Topping:
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook the pasta al dante, if you don't have any leftover pasta. Drain and run through cold water so that pasta doesn't stick and is easy to mix in later. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a food processor or a blender, blend together all the ingredients for the batter to a smooth consistency. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté onion and mushrooms until mushrooms start to release some of the liquid. Add garlic, zucchini, pepper and edamame. Cook for about 7-8 minutes until everything is just cooked. Take care not to overcook.
4. Add pasta and chopped parsley into the vegetable mixture. Mix well. Pour everything into the batter and combine.
5. In a baking dish, sprinkle bread crumbs on the bottom. Pour in the combined batter. On top of the batter, sprinkle more bread crumbs and black pepper.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool on a rack to room temperature before cutting into wedges.
Nothing much to speak of today, but it's not entirely true. The Spinach-Noodle Kugel (Veganomicon, page 151) was so good; in fact, my husband said that it was the first real casserole I've made, and it brought back old memories. I used wholewheat elbows and spelt bread crumbs. This casserole totally rocked and absolutely helped our diet. We ate much less and felt equally satisfied.
I also roasted some shiitake mushrooms that were on their way out, according to the Roasted Portobellos recipe (Veganomicon, pages 112-113). Very good filling for sandwiches or just as a side dish.
