Tag Archives: vegan

Vegan Italian Sausages

Notes:

Ingredients:
½ cup pinto beans
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp italian seasoning
½ cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
½ cup vital wheat gluten
1 tbsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp black pepper
a dash of red pepper flakes
1 tsp paprika
¾ cup water
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Crush fennel seeds into a powder using mortar and pestle, set aside. Pulse beans a few times in a food processor or mash manually with a fork until no whole beans are left. Combine beans with all dry ingredients (add red pepper flakes to taste, a little goes a long way) and soy sauce in a large bowl. Mix with your hands to ensure even distribution. Add water and then knead dough about 10 times and set aside. Grab 5 rectangular shapes of foil and prepare your steamer (turn it on and get it ready). Divide dough into 5 equal parts and, using your hands, shape it into a log on the tin foil. Wrap each piece tightly in tin foil, twisting the ends to close. Steam for 40 minutes.

Source: The Happy Herbivore Cookbook

Chick Pea Tacos

Notes:

Ingredients:
15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp tamari
2 tsp lemon juice
1 recipe taco seasoning
8 whole taco shells

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Whisk tamari, juice & spices together. Add rinsed chickpeas and toss until well and evenly coated. Place chickpeas on tray, spray with oil and bake 20-25 minutes, until crunchy. Assemble tacos with chickpeas, arugula or lettuce, tomatoes and eat.

Source: The Happy Herbivore Cookbook

Instant Vegan Alfredo

Notes: I used whole wheat pasta shells we had on hand. Served it with steamed broccoli and a toasted whole wheat “skinny” bun. Nova didn’t care for this. I thought it was ok.
Edit: We both like this alfredo sauce better.

Ingredients:
12 ounces silken tofu
1 cup plant-based milk
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp onion powder
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups whole wheat pasta, cooked

Instructions:
Blend tofu with non-dairy milk, nutmeg, garlic, onion and a light dash of cayenne pepper (optional, or alternatively, add a drop or two of hot sauce) until smooth and creamy. Transfer mixture to a saucepan and whisk in nutritional yeast, flour and 1 tbsp vegan Parmesan. Cook over medium heat and allow to thicken. Taste, adding salt and black pepper to taste and adjusting other seasonings (more Parmesan, more garlic, etc) as desired. Toss with 2-3 cups of cooked whole wheat or brown rice pasta and vegetables if using. Serve immediately.

Source: The Happy Herbivore Cookbook

Vegan Jambalaya

Notes: We both thought his was pretty good. I made more rice than the recipe called for and served it separate instead of mixed with. I chose vegetable broth instead of water. I used 3 links of Tofurky Kielbasa for the sausage.

Ingredients:
4 meatless sausages, sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:
Bring the rice and water to a boil on the stove. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Spray a large pan with cooking spray. Heat pan over medium/high heat and then add sliced (or crumbled!) meatless sausages. Cook for five minutes, stirring with spatula. Then, add chopped onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes until onion is translucent and soft. Add garlic and saute 30 more seconds.

Pour in diced tomatoes and water (or broth if using). Add salt and oregano. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 5 minutes or so until most of the water evaporates. Add rice and stir well to combine.

Source: http://www.eatliverun.com

Amy’s Veggie Burgers

Our 2nd time having these. We both think these are pretty good. Made with organic vegetables and quinoa. Handy to keep in the freezer when you don’t have time or energy to prepare something from scratch. I served them with home-made baked potato chips. Downside is they are a little pricey compared to some other faux burgers.

Cauliflower & Potato Soup

Notes: I’m not big on soup and Nova’s not big on cauliflower but we both thought this was great. I didn’t mash the vegetables and left them chunky. Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped onion
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 cups water, divided
3 cups diced potatoes
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 large carrots, diced
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
2 cups vegetable broth
2 Tbsp cashew or peanut butter
2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat onion, salt, and 1/2 cup water, then simmer on low for approximately 20 minutes, or until the onions cook down to a nice mush. Check to make sure the water is sufficient, and then add 1/4 cup water as needed, so the onions don’t burn on the bottom of the pot.

Add the potatoes, celery, carrots, and cauliflower along with 2 cups of water and the vegetable broth. Simmer until all of the vegetables are soft–about 20 minutes. Add the cashew or peanut butter and tamari.

Mash with a potato masher (or an immersion blender) until the soup is mostly smooth, with some chunks. Season with cracked pepper and sea salt to taste.

Variations:
Add one bunch of freshly chopped kale, mustard greens, or collard greens 5 to 8 minutes before serving.

Source: Not A Crazy Vegan.

Homemade Granola Bars

Notes: I follow the Old World Garden Farms blog where they recently posted this recipe. We made these today and both thought these were really good. We made ours using chocolate rice cereal. Next time we may try different dried fruit and maybe some .
Edit: We’ve since been making these with chocolate chips and have also tried craisins and carob chips.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup puffed or crispy rice cereal
1/2 cup chopped or slivered nuts (I used almond slivers)
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup or agave nectar to make it vegan friendly)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons peanut butter (or any nut butter freshly ground)

Instructions:
1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line the baking pan with parchment, leaving extra parchment to hang over 2 of the sides. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the oats, cereal, nuts, and raisins together in a mixing bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix the honey, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and peanut butter.
4. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are completely coated and start to stick together in clumps.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use an extra piece of parchment paper to firmly press the mixture into the pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes for chewy granola bars or 25-30 minutes for crunchy bars. As soon as you remove the bars from the oven, press them again with the back of a lightly oiled spatula for well compacted granola bars.

Source: Old World Garden Farms

Meatless Loaf With Mac And No Cheese

Neither one of us liked either one of these. We didn’t like the flavors. I had forgot to put the oats that the meatless loaf recipe called for so it didn’t stick together. I don’t think the oats would have helped with the flavor though.
I didn’t save the recipe to either one.