To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Click the image above to watch the video.
This is as easy as a dish can be! It took me less time to make the chicken & broccoli than it did to make the rice. Easy, delicious & as spicy (or not) as you please. Ok – I list 11 ingredients but I only used snap peas because I had them. Use them, lose them, substitute them with something else. Your call.
Vegan Spicy Chinese Barbecue Chicken with Broccoli
Heat the oil & saute the jalapenos & scallion slices for a minute or two. Add the remaining sauce ingredients & the chicken. Heat for a few minutes until the chicken is warmed & the sauce thickens a bit. Lower heat & set aside.
Boil water & blanch the broccoli & peas (if using) for 5 minutes then drain. You can either add the broccoli to the chicken & sauce or simply serve it beside the chicken.
Plate with some rice & garnish with sesame seeds & scallion slices.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
Click the image above to watch the video.
I have been seeing these here & there on the internet & decided to just wing it & try these out for myself. I find that King Trumpet mushrooms are very easy to find in most Asian markets. I found these at my favorite Thai market in Hollywood – Silom. They come in a plastic bag & there are usually 4-5 mushrooms in there.
I pan seared these & the result was incredible! They REALLY look like scallops & they have a similar rubbery texture and the thready texture. These are super easy & I recommend them highly!
Vegan King Trumpet Scallops & Lemon Garlic Pasta
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
for the scallops
4-5 King Trumpet mushrooms – the stems cut into 1-inch long rounds. Save the rest of the mushrooms for another use – like – stock.
1 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup white wine
1 TBS each of nori & kelp flakes – (optional – or use a crumbled up sheet of nori)
1 TBS Olive oil
1 TBS vegan butter
for the pasta
1/2 lb cooked pasta (I used angel hair)
1 tbs olive oil
2 TBS vegan butter
1 lemon – the rind zested & the juice squeezed
Crushed red pepper to taste
Chopped parsley
S&P to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cut the mushrooms. Soak the pieces in a mixture of the stock, wine & whatever nori or kelp you are using – for about an hour. Toss them intermittently. Drain on paper towel.
Heat the olive oil & better over medium high to high heat & sear the mushrooms. It should take about 10-12 minutes – turning them on each end occasionally. Drain on paper towels.
Wipe out the pan & heat oil & butter and the crushed red pepper & garlic. Heat until it thickens a bit & the garlic becomes aromatic – being careful not to burn the garlic. Add S&P to taste.
Toss the garlic butter with the pasta. Place a few scallops on the plated pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Voila!
Alternatively – you can reheat the pasta in the pan with the scallops & then serve with parsley.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image above to watch.
OK – this one takes a few steps but all are easy & you end up with a GIGANTIC mound of all things savory & Thanksgivingy! It is a bread course, sweet potato/squash dish, creamed spinach, scalloped potatoes & chicken courses – all rolled into one. You can sub out the ingredients to suit your tastes. This is basically an enclosed shepherd’s pie & is as versatile at shepherd’s pie is.
**PLEASE NOTE** – transferring this tart from the cooking sheet onto a serving platter might prove VERY tricky. It will be very heavy – and the warmer it is when you try to transfer it – the more delicate that procedure will be. It would SUCK to put all the work in – only to break it when you are ready to serve it. If you don’t have two very large spatulas – and maybe an assistant – perhaps consider cooking this on something you can also serve it on. Surrounding it with leafy kale (or other greens) at the base & a few cranberries & it will look festive & spare you the trauma of transferring it to a platter. SERIOUSLY consider baking & serving from the same piece. I am devastated just imagining what a failed transfer would do to my life – and I don’t want that for you.
3/4 cup silken tofu – pureed (I just smashed it all up with a fork)
1/3 cup vegan milk
for the creamed spinach
1 small onion or large shallot – diced
1 lb fresh spinach
2 (9 oz) packages vegan chicken (I highly recommend Beyond Meat brand. Best on the market!) – cubed
4 oz vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup vegan milk
4 slices vegan cheese (I used the Chao below)
S&P
Olive oil
for the scalloped potatoes
2-3 medium potatoes – peeled & cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 TBS vegan butter
2 TBS flour
2 cups vegan milk
7 oz vegan cheese (I used that Daiya)
S&P
for the sweet potato-butternut squash puree
1 butternut squash – peeled & cubed
1 large sweet potato – peeled & cubed
4-6 TBS vegan butter
Pinch of nutmeg
S&P
PARCHMENT PAPER for cooking
Vegan egg wash – small but equal parts agave nectar – soy milk – olive oil
GARNISH – kale (or other leafy greens) and fresh cranberries – to arrange around the tart.
DIRECTIONS
for the soft tart dough
By food processor: Combine flour, salt & butter in a food processor using a metal blade. Process with short pulses until the mixture is crumbly. Add tofu with short pulses. Add milk, gradually, with short pulses until it begins to clump and – eventually – orbit as a ball inside the food processor. You might need a little more flour. When the dough is formed – it will be very soft. Gather it into a ball & wrap it tightly with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least an hour but up to 3 days. When ready to roll it out bring it back to room temperature and flour a work surface to facilitate handling.
By hand: combine flour & salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center & add the butter and the smashed silken tofu. Lightly blend the butter & tofu with fingertips. With a knife or pastry blade, cut the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture. Gradually, add the milk – tossing with a fork until the dough comes together. The dough will be very soft. Add more flour if it is too wet. Gather it into a ball & wrap it tightly with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least an hour but up to 3 days. When ready to roll it out bring it back to room temperature and flour a work surface to facilitate handling.
for the scalloped potatoes
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter in a stock pot & whisk in the flour & a little S&P. Heat until it just begins to turn golden then slowly add the milk – letting it thicken before you add more. When all the milk is incorporated & it is still sorta thick – melt in the cheese. Season with salt & pepper. Toss with the sliced potatoes & place in a greased casserole dish. Cook for 45-60 minutes or until it is bubbling & the potatoes are soft. Set aside to cool completely.
for the creamed spinach & chicken
Heat a TBS of olive oil in a saute pan & cook the onions until soft. Add the spinach & let it wilt – then add the cream cheese & milk. Heat until the cheese melts & you have a thick & creamy spinach. Season with S&P & toss the chicken in & stir. Set aside to cool.
for the sweet potato-butternut puree
Boil the sweet potato & butternut chunks until soft. I then drained them & mashed them with the butter, nutmeg and S&P. Set aside to cool.
to assemble the tart
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap. A moderately deep & wide one is best. If the bowl is too deep – your tart will be too tall & be more likely to collapse. Also – be sure your bowl opening (at the top) is no wider than the cooking sheet you will be using to bake the tart.
Roll out 2/3 of the dough big enough that it not only lines your bowl but has overhang.
DO NOT OVERFILL! Only fill it to below the depth of the bowl. The stuffing ingredients should be to warmer than room temperature.
Place a thin layer of puree in the bottom & then a thick layer of scalloped potatoes & then the rest of the puree. Put the four slices of cheese on top of that then all of the spinach & chicken.
Roll out the remaining dough so that it fits the top of your bowl & then fold the edges of the bottom crust over it & use a knife or fork to pinch it sealed. Line a cooking sheet with parchment paper & invert it on top of your tart – and VERY CAREFULLY – flip it over so your tart is sealed-side down. Be sure to put the cooking sheet with the parchment ON TOP OF your bowl & flip. Do not try to just flip the bowl onto the cooking sheet. This sucker likely weighs more than a turkey & the soft dough will not withstand that much pressure. Remove the bowl & the plastic wrap.
I sprayed it with cooking oil but found that did not give me a golden glaze so – mix up a little vegan egg wash (small but equal parts agave nectar – soy milk – olive oil) and occasionally brush the tart as it bakes. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until it looks nice & browned.
Look how HUGE that thing is! See the pastry brush? That has to be 12 inches long.
OK – here comes a tricky part. Let it cool a while before fussing with it. Once anything that seeped out of it has pretty much cooled – run a knife under it to loosen the tart from the escapes bits. I used an ENORMOUS spatula & the parchment paper to very delicately shift the tart to a serving plate. It is a heavy & unwieldy thing – so be very delicate when handling this tart – get assistance, if possible. If the transfer is too risky for you – consider just putting some leafy greens & cranberries around the base on the pan itself & serve this bad boy directly from the cooking sheet. Better to go low brow than having this guy fall apart.
This should be served warm but is delicious at room temperature, too.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Click the image above to watch the video.
OK! Vegan Thai Pad Gra Prow – Spicy Beef & Basil – with Wide Rice Noodles!!! I added fresh noodles that I bought at Bangluck but this would go just as nicely over rice – or in lettuce wraps.
This dish is very easy & doesn’t use anything especially exotic. I recommend it very highly!
Vegan Thai Pad Gra Prow – Spicy Beef & Basil – with Wide Rice Noodles & Bok Choy
SERVES 2 well
INGREDIENTS
A 1-2 TBS sesame oil (or olive oil)
7 (or more) ounces vegan beef (I used seitan)
16 ounces fresh rice noodles (or cooked pasta or cooked rice)
1/2 red bell pepper – sliced into strips
1/2 small onion – diced
2 jalapenos – diced
2 heads bok choy – cleaned (optional) & chopped a bit
5 garlic cloves – chopped
1 TBS liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari) – plus extra
1 tsp dark soy sauce – plus extra if you think it needs more
1 tsp vegan oyster or mushroom sauce
1 TBS sambal oelek
1/2 tsp agave nectar (or brown sugar)
1/2 – 1 cup basil leaves (I used a mixture of Thai sweet basil & Thai holy basil but any basil will do – Thai ones being preferred)
GARNISH – lime wedges, cilantro
DIRECTIONS
If using noodles – separate them under cold running water. If using pasta or rice – cook it & set aside.
Heat the sesame oil (1 or 2 TBS) in a wok or large saute pan.
Add the red bell pepper, onion & jalapenos. Saute until soft. Add all the other ingredients except the garlic & basil (and the garnish). Heat the noodles & meat through & let the bok choy wilt. I added a bit of extra liquid aminos here because I thought the dish needed a tad more salt & moisture. This is your call. Once the bok choy is wilted & the ingredients are well-combined – stir in the garlic & basil.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
~
Click the image above to watch the video.
There is nothing easier than putting raw ingredients into a crock pot & walking away – only to return in a few hours to a home that smells yummy & food that is delicious. But this comes together on the stove top in about 5-10 minutes.
This is the easiest fucking dish ever. I used Beyond Meat’s vegan chicken one & Morning Star Veggie Pulled Pork the next time.
Easiest Ever Vegan Garlic Sesame Chicken (with or without Honey) for the Slow Cooker
Feeds 2 well with rice
INGREDIENTS
9 oz vegan chicken or other vegan faux meat
6 cloves garlic – minced
1 small onion – diced
1/4 cup of some dark berry jam – I used blueberry but blackberry would be great
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 TBS agave nectar
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 TBS sesame oil
1 – 2 TBS cornstarch (optional)
1 TBS dark (black) soy sauce (optional – for color)
For garnish:
Scallions, sesame seeds and/or Thai basil and cooked rice
Directions
Cook some rice.
STOVE TOP VERSION
Heat the sesame oil & cook the onions until soft. Add the garlic & after one minute – add the remaining ingredients (the corn starch is optional). Heat through. Add water if it gets too thick – cornstarch if it is too watery. Add the dark soy sauce if you want a darker color.
Garnish as you desire & serve over rice.
SLOW COOKER VERSION
Put everything EXCEPT THE CORNSTARCH the garnishes in your crock pot. Stir it all up. My crock pot has no settings so I assume it is just always on high. Leave it alone for an hour or two – stirring it if you can or want to but it doesn’t need it.
Once it was all bubbly & hot, I used a slotted spoon & took the chicken out and used two forks to sorta shred it – like a pulled pork. I whisked about 1-2 TBS cornstarch into the sauce to thicken it & then returned the shredded chick to the pot. I let it sit a while longer but it didn’t need it. It didn’t REALLY need the shredding or cornstarch, either, so if it looks good to you right outta the pot au naturale – go for it!
Then I garnished it & ate some over rice. I enjoyed it.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
OK – so – this recipe makes a lot of soup and it is absolutely entry-level easy. It would feed six easily, especially if you served it with crusty bread & a salad. Also – like so many of my recipes, it is extremely forgiving & customizable. I would have added carrots but I had none. You can add other veggies you might have or lose some I used if you don’t have them or do not like them.
The photos below are explained in the video.
Spicy Vegan Corn Chowder
INGREDIENTS
6 TBS cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 small onion – diced
2 Russett (or other) potatoes – peeled & diced
1-3 jalapenos – seeded & diced (optional)
3 stalks celery – chopped
3 cobs of fresh corn – corn cut from the cob
2 (15 oz) cans of cream-style corn
6 cups non-dairy milk
1 TBS sriracha (optional)
5 sprigs fresh thyme
S&P to taste (at least a tsp each)
DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a large stock pot over med-high heat. Add the onions, celery & jalapeno. Saute about 5 minutes, stirring & taking care not to brown the onions.
Stir in the flour. This should create a thick paste pretty quickly. Increase heat to high. SLOWLY – as in – a cup or less at a time – add the milk. Let each portion heat through & thicken a bit. This isn’t brain surgery & the soup will thicken as it heats anyway but this going slow stuff hastens that process.
When all the milk has been added, bring it to a boil & then reduce heat to medium. Add all the other ingredients.
Add the thyme sprigs whole. Cook over medium or low heat until the potatoes & corn soften. Twenty minutes or so – depending how large the bits of potato are.
Remove the thyme sprigs & serve with cracked pepper and/or its of fresh thyme.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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My debut novel is out! Check it out! I think it is HILARIOUS! I hope you will, too!
OPTIONAL – 1-3 TBS black soy sauce for a richer color
Scallions – green parts sliced – as garnish or sesame seeds or additional sliced basil.
DIRECTIONS
Heat 1-2 TBS sesame oil in a pan & add the eggplant. Add a little salt & some crushed red pepper. Add the diced onion. Saute over medium heat until tender but not mushy. Maybe 5-8 minutes.
Add 2-3 TBS sesame seeds & the garlic & the ginger. When the garlic begins to brown add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, sambal oelek (or chili garlic sauce), molasses, soy sauce, rice vinegar, & water. Simmer over med-low heat for ten minutes. Add the eggplant & onions & simmer another 5 minutes. Stir in some chopped basil (if using).
Serve over rice garnished with additional chopped basil, the scallions & some additional sesame seeds.
