90 posts tagged “whole grains”

This is a wonderfully delicious pasta dish made with fried vegetables and seasoned with only salt.  Simplicity is beauty itself in this case.

I finally made this heavenly vanilla yogurt pound cake from Veganomicon because I found soy yogurt in the local store.  Moist and rich, this pound cake will send fat straight to your waistline if you don't stop eating it soon enough.

I was able to get us Teese and then I put plenty of it on this pizza with the classic mushroom marinara sauce.

Teese melts well, and has a rather mild flavor that blends well with the sauce, but don't try to eat it directly out of the package.  Other soy cheeses will taste better if consumed directly.  For the pizza topping, I will definitely use Teese.

I have many photos in the computer and on the phone but I still haven't found the time or inclination to sort them out, because I am still trying to feel more settled in the new house in Vermont.  Hopefully I will be doing more cooking and baking soon.  We eat pasta every day now, since pasta is such a satisfying thing to eat and quick to make if you have tons of fresh vegetables and lots of herbs and other condiments.  You can easily come up with a new variation any day.

This is a very easy pasta dish to put together.  First, saute/pan-fry some 7-8 cloves of garlic till golden brown.  (In the meantime, boil water and cook enough whole wheat shells for two people.)  In the pan, add chopped broccoli, asparagus, and a little cauliflower and continue cooking for 5 minutes.  Then add a good splash of soy milk and put the lid on.  Steam-fry the vegetables for 5 more minutes.  When done, turn off the heat, and add some chopped water-packed artichokes, basil pesto, dried parsley, paprika, black pepper, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes and mix well.  When the pasta is cooked and drained, mix the veggie sauce with pasta really well.  Salt to taste.  Serve and enjoy!

I am sending this pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.  This week's host will be Kitchenetta of Got No Milk.

I don't make cheesecakes often.  The reasons are simple: we don't love cheesecakes that much, and I don't get the same satisfaction from making a cheesecake as from a loaf of good bread.  When the Daring Bakers April challenge was revealed - a cheesecake, I wasn't too excited; however, having the total freedom of making whatever flavor and topping we want did seem very appealing, as well as challenging.  We happened to have several containers of Tofutti cream cheese laying around in the fridge.  So I actually found myself making the cheesecake right after I read through the challenge.

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes.  She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I made a vegan lemon cheesecake with lavender-infused chocolate ganache and cashew butter sauce.  The recipe is a combination of several long-time favorites, so I totally loved the end result.  It was a very fun challenge to complete and it did make me appreciate cheesecakes more.

Vegan Lemon Cheesecake with Lavender-Infused Chocolate Ganache and Cashew Butter Sauce
(Makes one 9-inch round cheesecake)

CRUST (recipe from Vegetarian Times)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegan butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FILLING (recipe adapted from Nicole of Bakingsheet)

1 1/2 packages 8-oz Tofutti better than cream cheese
1 pacakge 12-oz nori-nu silken tofu
1/2 package 8-oz sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract

LAVENDER-INFUSED CHOCOLATE GANACHE (half recipe from Vegan Chef)

3/4 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
1 1/2 Tbsp. lavender flowers (the original recipe doesn't call for this, but I thought it was a nice touch)
1/4 cup soy margarine
12 oz. vegan chocolate chips (or chopped vegan chocolate)

CASHEW BUTTER SAUCE (The Voluptuous Vegan, page 260) - half recipe

1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp. arrowroot powder
1/2 cup original flavored soy milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter (used cashew butter instead)

WHAT TO DO

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Coat 9-inch cake pan or springform pan with cooking spray.

2. To make Crust: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat butter, oil and sugar in second mixing bowl until smooth.  Add water and vanilla to butter mixture; beat until smooth.  Add dry ingredients, and mix with rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moist.  Transfer dough to baking dish, and use piece of plastic wrap to press it into even layer on bottom.

3. Bake about 20 minutes, or until puffed and brown around edges.

4. Meanwhile, to make Cream Cheese Filling: Using electric mixer or food processor, blend cream cheese, tofu, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch until smooth and creamy.  Add vanilla and almond extracts; beat or process until smooth.  Pour cream cheese batter over the crust, spreading evenly.  Gently tap the pan to let the air bubbles surface.

5. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling has set.  The surface should be light golden.  The edges should be firm but the center might still be jiggly.  Keep the oven door slightly ajar and let cool inside the oven for an hour to 90 minutes.  Then let cool completely on wire rack in room temperature.  When completely cooled, cover and transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight before adding the topping.

6. (Continue when the cheesecake has been chilled overnight and ready to be topped.)  To make the chocolate ganache, in the top part of a double boiler, place the soy milk and lavender flowers, and heat together until lukewarm.  Let lavender flowers steep in the soy milk for 10 minutes and then strain the flowers out.  Add the margaine, and heat until the margarine melts completely.  Add the vegan chocolate chips, continue to cook while stirring constantly until the vegan chocolate chips have melted completely and the mixture is very smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.

7. While the chocolate ganache cools in the room temperature, make the cashew butter sauce.  Heat up the maple syrup in a small sauce pan until slightly bubbly.  Add arrowroot powder and soy milk.  Mix well and cook on medium heat.  When it boils, lower the heat a bit to a simmer.  Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and cashew butter right away and mix well until the whole mixture is smooth.

8. Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the chillded cheesecake.  Smooth out evenly.  Pour the cashew butter sauce across the surface gently.  Use a toothpick or a small knife to swirl across the surface to create whatever pattern you feel like.  I simply did an abstract version.  Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator and chill for at least two hours before serving.

* Cooling the cheesecake after baking is critical.  The key is to let the temperature fall gradually, therefore, leaving the cake in the oven and then cool in room temperature completely is the only way to prevent cracks if you don't want to attempt the water bath (which is rather difficult, and unnecessary, in my humble opinion).

I got myself into a bit of a busy week.  Not much time to comtemplate what to eat or cook.  This semolina bread is probably the most interesting thing among all that I have been cooking or baking in the kitchen.  The recipe is from Di's Kitchen Notebook.  I took the liberty of doubling the amount of semolina flour and reduced the bread flour accordingly.  The result was excellent.  There are no huge air holes but the bread has a very dense and meaty texture.  Your butter certainly will stay on and it is a very hearty bread to pair with any good soup or make sandwiches with.

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.)

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.

First, I need to rant a little.  I have been holding back for a while, but today I just have to say it.  Flying sucks!  The flights are often delayed, which leads to serious consequences and major inconvenience, especially when you are trying to make a connecting flight.  You could be stuck somewhere (that you don't want to be) overnight, or worse.  And the prices are high!  OK, I feel better now.

I must declare that semolina cornbread is by far the best cornbread I have had.  From now on, I will make sure that I use some semolina flour in my cornbread.  In fact, I plan to make a semolina cake soon.  The awesome semolina cornbread recipe is from Jude of Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté (another great blog that I visit often).  This cornbread has a better texture - more substantial and toothsome.  The flavor is very pleasant too.

To make a vegan version, use a tiny bit more soy milk than required with one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and omit the eggs.  Use Earth Balance butter instead (same amount).

It's another unbelievable recipe by Bryanna.  I followed the instructions to the T, and I was greatly rewarded.  There is always something really rich and old in Bryanna's recipes.  Even if the recipe only calls for 30 minutes of our time, the result seems to be the work of 6 or 7 hours of hard labor.  This vegan quiche is a good example.  It was really easy to put together, but the taste was hard to achieve even if I had slaved over the hot oven for hours.  By the way, the delicate crust is 50% whole wheat too.

So kudos to Bryanna!

Gumbo is a very American dish.  Mixing gumbo and pasta together might be an unorthodox approach, but surely worth a try, at least once.  If you happen to have a craving for a pasta that is really spicy and flavorful and has some oomph, this pasta dish will hit the spot.

We first have to make a nice gumbo.  If you have leftover gumbo after making this pasta, serve it over rice, or add some rice into it.  Why not eat it with some good country bread too?

Seitan Tofu Gumbo
Adapted from the Seitan Gumbo recipe by Wes of Don't Lose Your Lunch
(Makes 5-6 generous servings)

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large roasted red bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
7-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili pepper
2 Tofurky Italian sausages, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed, cubed
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup baked roux (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
Salt to taste

1. Over medium heat, saute onion, garlic, bell peppers and celery in sesame oil and olive oil mix for 5-7 minutes until celery softens a bit.
2. Add everything from tomato paste to chipotle chili pepper and mix well.  Saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add sausages and tofu cubes and mix thoroughly.  Cook for one minute.
4. Add water, broth, tomatoes, and bay leaves.  Combine well.  Bring to boil.  Lower heat to a small simmer.  Simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
5. Add roux, stirring constantly until completely dissolved.  Return to boil so roux can thicken.  Lower heat to simmer.
6. Add parsley and mix thoroughly.  Stir from time to time and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Add salt and adjust the taste.  Remove bay leaves.

Baked Roux:

2 cups white flour
2 cups canola oil

1. Mix flour and oil, dissolving lumps.
2. Bake in an 8"x8" Pyrex pan for about 3 hours, gently stirring every 30 minutes.

The end result should be darker than peanut butter but lighter than chocolate.  Allow to cool before handling.  Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Whole Wheat Linguine with Seitan Tofu Gumbo

Cook enough linguine for 2 people according to the package instructions (al dante).  In the last 5 seconds, add some fresh spinach into the pot.
Drain well.  Press lightly to release most water from the cooked spinach.  Put the pasta back into the pot.
Add plenty of gumbo to the pasta and thoroughly combine.  Plate.  Pour a little gumbo on top of the pasta.  Serve.

I am sending this pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, a great event started by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast.  This week's host will be Aquadaze of Served with Love.

Susan's wonderful stew recipe really saved my week.  I was really at a loss when I couldn't find anything in my recipe collection that would be suitable for my whimsical stomach.  Fortunately, I stumbled upon this recent recipe on Susan's Fatfree Vegan Kitchen.  The only thing I altered was the beans.  I only had pinto beans, but I love them.  This recipe is definitely another keeper.

This Coconut Milk and Orange Blossom Tart from Homemade Heaven is another wonder.  I love coconut desserts.  Combining coconut milk and orange flavor is a new thing for me.  So far I have only used lemon or lime juice with coconut milk, but apparently I missed out big time on using the orange flavor.  This tart is wonderful, warm and cold.  It's a good thing that I only made one.

Purplesque has recently posted this wonderful soup recipe.  I wasn't able to make the sourdough bread to go with the soup, but I'm really in love with the soup itself.  The only little change is that I used yellow squashes instead of my favorite zucchini which is unavailable for the moment.  Definitely a keeper!

Nothing like a hearty soup to ease all the little challenges that life surprises us with.