Author Archives: randy

Reuben-Like Sandwich

Notes: This was a lot better than I expected. I would eat it again. Nova couldn’t get past the look of the tempeh and removed it from her sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 package of tempeh – cut in hald and then each half sliced through the middle to make 4 thin patties
1 can or jar sauerkraut
Fresh spinach leaves
Rye bread – toasted
Thousand Island dressing (see home-made below)

Directions:
Marinate the tempeh in tamari or soy sauce for 20 minutes or so.
Bake tempeh on baking pan at 350 for 15 minutes.
Assemble sandwich on rye with baked tempeh, dressing, sauerkraut and spinach.

For thousand island dressing…
Ingredients:
1/3 Cup Ketchup
1/3 Cup Dill relish
1/2 box Silken Tofu

Directions:
Mix tofu and ketchup in blender till smooth.
Transfer mix to bowl.
Stir in dill relish.


Spring Rolls

Notes: Serve with peanut dipping sauce. I used this recipe. My Spring rolling definitely needs work.

Ingredients:
Small rice noodles
Rice wraps
Shredded veggie mix. I used a mix of broccoli, cabbage and carrots
Chopped romaine lettuce
Cilantro leaves

Instructions:
Boil the rice noodles per package instructions. Drain.
Soak a rice wrap in bowl of water till pliable.
Fill center of wrap with veggies, noodles and cilantro.
Fold each side of the wrap over the filling. Next fold one end over the filling and then roll the rest.
Repeat.

Rice Cooker Black Bean Chili

Notes: Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 45 mins to 1 hour. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots diced
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 cans black beans (drained + rinsed)
1 can black beans (not drained)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 can vegetarian refried black beans
1 large can or box of chopped tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
pinch of salt
shredded cheddar for serving
chopped avocado for serving

Directions:
Saute onions and olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots and garlic and cook until carrots just begin to soften. Transfer to a rice cooker and add broth, tomatoes, cumin and chili powder and start your rice cooker on the quick cook setting. (Or just put it on the regular setting.) After the quick cook has ended (or 20 mins later if you don’t have a quick cook setting) add the black beans and cook for another quick cook cycle (or continue to cook on the same cycle). When the second cycle is done, add refried beans and stir to combine. Leave your rice cooker on “warm” while you set your table allowing the refried beans to come up to temperature. Serve with cheddar cheese and avocado.

Polenta, Sweet Potato And Tomato Stack

This dish is from the My Beef With Meat cook book. It was called the Dr Seuss Polenta Stack or something similar. It consists of stacked slices of polenta, sweet potato (both baked) and tomato with walnut sauce between each. It’s topped with a cilantro lime dressing. The recipe also called for a balsamic glaze to be poured over the stacks which I omitted. This was our first time cooking & eating polenta. The recipe turned out better than we thought it would be.

Rice Cooker

Over the weekend we bought our first ever rice cooker. It’s a small cheap one. Used it for the first time tonight and are really happy the results. I never could get it just right cooking it on the stove.

I made Vegan Jambalaya (recipe here).

Meatless Chorizo

The faux chorizo was made with quinoa, pinto beans and a lot of spices. I originally made it into patties for burgers. The next day I broke the leftover patties apart and reheated in skillet for tacos. I think I liked it better crumbled than in patty form.