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.
Put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer – at least overnight – or longer. If you have room – it should just live there when it is empty so you can be more spontaneous about making ice cream.
Heat the strawberries with the sugar, cornstarch & lemon juice until dry ingredients dissolve. Bring to a boil to thicken a bit then set aside to cool completely.
Mix in the coconut cream, vanilla & salt & make ice cream according to your machine’s directions.
Add the chocolate chips in the last 5-10 minutes.
Eat immediately or put in a loaf pan, cover with wax paper & then foil & keep in the freezer.
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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Click the image above to watch the video.
Eben McGarr’s Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Serves 4 well
INGREDIENTS
1 lb pasta – cooked & drained
1 1/2 pound mushrooms – sliced
1 large onion – sliced
1 stick vegan butter
1 cup veggie stock
3 TBS liquid aminos (or tamari or soy sauce)
4 TBS vegan mayo
1/3 cup flour
S&P to taste
chopped parsley as garnish
DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta.
Melt the butter in a very large pan. Saute the onions until soft. Add mushrooms and cook them down. Once soft, whisk in the stock & flour. Once combined – add the liquid aminos & the mayo. Heat through. Season with S&P & toss with the pasta. Garnish with the parsley & serve.
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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Click the image above to watch the video.
Ok – this pasta. A Facebook friend requested it & I could not believe I had not already posted the recipe. This dish is an old regular of mine from 25 years ago & there is a funny story that goes with it. I used to make it all the time at home & for company & many of my friends had asked for the recipe. One day, my then boyfriend & I were served a mushroom cream pasta dish at my friend Angie’s. My boyfriend took one taste & looked at me and said, “Babe! This is amazing! You have to ask for her recipe!”
Yeah. Well – it WAS my recipe. The only difference was that she added salt to hers & I was still brainwashed into thinking using salt was a capital sin. I learned that lesson well that day & now I consider salt a genuine ingredient in most things – not just a forgettable & optional seasoning. There are all kinds of fancy salts widely available now, too, and some even have healthy benefits. Pink Himalayan salt, for example, boasts these benefits:
Regulate water content both inside and outside of cells
Balance pH(alkaline/acidity) and help to reduce acid reflux
Prevent muscle cramping
Aid in proper metabolism functioning
Strengthen bones
Lower blood pressure
Help the intestines absorb nutrients
Prevent goiters
Improve circulation
Dissolve and eliminate sedimentto remove toxins
So, yeah – use salt. Salt is not just a flavor unto itself. It also brings out & enhances other flavors. Trust me. Too much is awful but just the right amount is magic.
Vegan Fried Sage and Mushroom Cream Pasta Sauce with Orecchiette
Feeds 2 very well
INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta cooked according to package instructions
Olive oil
10 or more fresh sage leaves
1 lb mushrooms (of nearly any variety or mix) – sliced
2 shallots – chopped
3 garlic cloves – chopped
1 cup (or more) vegan dairy (a combo of non-dairy milk & some vegan soft cheese of your choice)
1/4 cup vegan Parmesan
Salt & pepper to taste
Parsley – chopped as garnish (it adds a lot of flavor!)
Extra Parmesan for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta. Reserve about a cup of the pasta water (in case you need it to thin your sauce later) & drain the pasta.
Heat 1-2 TBS olive oil over med-high heat & fry the sage a few minutes. It need not brown. Drain on paper towels.
Add the mushrooms & about a tsp of salt & raise the heat to high. The salt will help the mushrooms release their moisture. Stir the mushrooms occasionally – letting them get seared. When they are nice & brown – add about another TBS of olive oil & the shallots & garlic. Fry for about 2 minutes & then add the vegan dairy & Parmesan. Crumble the fried sage & add that to the sauce. Bring to a boil & then lower to a simmer. It should thicken very quickly. Use more cream & cheese if you want a pasta with more sauce. Add some pasta water if it gets too thick. When it is the consistency of a heavy cream sauce – season to taste with salt & pepper. Add the pasta, stir to combine & serve it up. Garnish liberally with chopped parsley & maybe more Parmesan.
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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Click the image above to watch the video.
This is another super easy & healthy one! I used sweet potatoes but any orange squash would also work. No dairy in this at all & it still tastes so decadent! If you own a blender – you can make this in less than 30 minutes. The sauce can be used as it is here – over pasta – but if you added a bit more stock or some non-dairy milk or vegan heavy cream – you would have a delightful soup! Or – leave it thick & make ravioli. Or slather some in a white lasagna. Mmmmm!
Vegan Creamy Sweet Potato Pasta with Fried Sage
Serves 4 well
INGREDIENTS
1 lb pasta (if you use less pasta – see notes above about how to re-purpose the extra sauce)
2 TBS olive oil
1 package or bunch of fresh sage
1 large sweet potato (2 lbs or so – or 3 cups) – peeled & cubed
1 medium onion – diced
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 TBS (or less – if heat bothers you) crushed red pepper
2 cups vegetable stock
S&P
DIRECTIONS
Cook & drain your pasta – but reserve about a cup of the hot pasta water. Toss the pasta with a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Set aside.
Over medium heat – warm the oil in a large saute pan & fry the sage. Be careful not to burn it (it should not brown in the pan). After 2 minutes or so – drain it on papers towels & set aside.
In the same pan, add the onions. Once softened, add the sweet potato, garlic & crushed red pepper. Stir for one minute & then add the stock. Bring to a boil & boil until your sweet potato is soft.
Being careful not to burn yourself, puree the sweet potato mixture. Season liberally with S&P (to taste). Put the noodles in the pan you cooked the sweet potatoes in. Spoon only as much of the sweet potato puree onto it so you get a light cover. You don’t want to drown the pasta. I had a lot of puree left over from the 1/2 pound of pasta I cooked & I will make it into soup (see notes above the recipe). If it gets too thick, stir in some of the reserved pasta water – a bit at a time.
Plate the pasta & crumble sage on it. Garnish with fresh cracked pepper & maybe some vegan Parmesan.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image above to watch the video.
I fucking love Indian food. I always have. I have posted many Indian recipes & Indian food is the easiest way to feed someone vegan food without them noticing. If you research, you will find that most recipes have largely overlapping ingredients. If you intend to get into cooking Indian food – the critical spices (outside of cumin & coriander) are garam masala & cardamom. If your local market does not carry the spices you need – and there is no local Indian spice source (ethnic markets are THE BEST resource for cheap spices) – buy them on Amazon. This recipe calls for fenugreek (or kasuri methi) but I read that celery seeds are a decent substitute. If you can’t find either – blow it off.
If you are accustomed to cooking Indian food – you might notice I tend to use far larger amounts of the spices than your average recipes. The measurements are very forgiving, though, so don’t worry if you want to use more – or less – than what I suggest.
I used a vegan goat cheese that I bought at a Soledad Santuary stand at the Hollywood farmer’s market. If you live in Hollywood or can make it to that market – look for them. They recently turned vegan & are experimenting making many kinds of vegan cheese. (If you get there – BTW – look for Dave’s Korean stand, too. Their tempeh is INSANE!) You can use any soft vegan cheese (cream cheese or yogurt or goat cheese – if you can find some). If you are not vegan – a Boursin or garlic/chive cream cheese would work. You just need some sort of “dairy” to mellow out the overall flavor.
Vegan Aloo Palak (Indian Spinach & Potato Curry)
Serves 4-6 with rice
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 – 2 lbs fresh spinach (You can use canned or frozen but the flavor will not be the same & you won’t get the vibrant green color. Google Aloo Palak & see how ugly it can look. LOL)
3 large red potatoes – cubed
1 large onion – diced
1-3 jalapenos (to taste) – chopped (remove seeds to lessen the heat)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin
1 TBS turmeric
1 TBS fresh ginger – minced (I used jarred)
1 TBS garlic – minced (I used jarred)
1-3 tsp chili powder (I used 3 but I like heat)
1 TBS ground coriander
1 tsp dry fenugreek (or celery seeds) – OPTIONAL
1 TBS garam masala
1/2 cup vegan soft cheese
Salt
Olive oil
Garnish – cooked rice and/or naan
DIRECTIONS
Boil a large pot of water & blanch the spinach by immersing it for 30 seconds to a minute – so it wilts. Plunge into cold water & drain.
Heat 1-2 TBS olive oil & pan fry the potatoes until they begin to brown – turning often. This might cook them through – depending on how large your cubes are. If it doesn’t do not worry. They can cook more in the spinach. Set aside.
In that same pan – heat another TBS olive oil & add the cumin seeds. Once they begin to sputter, add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, ginger, & spices. Cook until the onion is soft.
In a food processor – blend the onion mix. Then – add the drained spinach & puree. Return this to the pan. Stir in the cheese & add the potatoes. Heat through & be sure your potatoes are soft. You may have to add between 1-2 cups of water to thin it out. If it is too thick add more water. Too thin? Cook it down.
Serve with rice or naan – or eat it naked! I mean – the spinach & potatoes could be naked – as the potato adds a starch to the dish, already. But – if you wanna be naked yourself – I don’t see a problem with that. Your roommate or children might feel awkward but fuck’m. You just made motherfuckin’ Aloo Palak. What the fuck have they achieved lately? Probably not appreciate you enough, that’s what.
See my point? Might as well swill some wine, too. Haters gonna hate. No reason for you to give any fucks at all. Eat, drink & be proud you just made a yummy vegan meal!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image above to watch the video.
I love Indian food. I always have. I also love cooking with dry beans & lentils because they are so inexpensive & yield many servings for pennies per serving. The only issue with Indian recipes is acquiring the exotic spices – which can be expensive if you do not buy them from an Indian market. Ethnic markets are always the best place to buy spices because each will typically carry all you need for recipes from that area of the world and at greatly reduced prices. If you do not live in an area with much diversity – Amazon is wonderful. You can typically omit a few spices from most recipes with little loss of flavor but it is really satisfying to be as authentically true to a regional recipe as possible. With Thai food, for example, getting fresh kaffir lime leaves & Thai basil makes an enormous difference. You just open the packages of these things and are transported to your favorite Thai restaurant. Indian food has a few staples that are hrd to get around – garam masala, for example. But it is stuff like cardamom & fenugreek (methi) that add authenticity. Fenugreek is an herb – pictured below – both fresh & dried. It also comes in seed form & as a powder and it is ubiquitous in Indian recipes in one form or another. It might be a good idea to research a few Indian recipes & stock up on the critical spices sif you want to experiment with this wonderful cuisine. HERE is a list of the most used spices – garam masala being the most commonly used and that list omitted the kasoori (or kasuri) methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and I would add that to your list as well as amchoor (mango powder).
I made a version of mahkani in July – seen above – my Spicy Vegan Dal Makhani (Beluga or Black Lentils) for the Slow Cooker. That dish used beluga lentils & is not as authentic as today’s recipe. In today’s recipe I used whole black lentils (also called urad dal or black gram) and red kidney beans (rajma). I not only soaked these beans overnight but I also cooked them in my slow cooker for 5 hours on high AND left them overnight to let the flavors meld. I recommend this (though it is not necessary) to let the beans really soften & the flavors blend – so – if you are making this dish it takes two days before you are eating it. Again, you definitely could eat it after the 5 hours but like many stew-type dishes – it gets better over time. The good news is – there is no prep cooking for this dish so, except for cutting up an onion & 2 peppers – the slow cooker does all the work (except the smoking process – explained below). The lentils & beans I used are below – dry – and as they looked after soaking them – separately – overnight. As you can see – they changed color considerably. This dish is traditionally very rich using varied amounts of butter & heavy cream. I used only 2 TBS of vegan butter & 1/2 cup vegan sour cream – so this dish is not quite so heavy.
As to smoking your dal makhani – it is VERY easy & I recommend it very highly. It just requires a chunk of a natural charcoal & a small metal bowl. You simply heat the coal over a burner until it is red hot, place it in a metal bowl & drizzle olive oil on it & place it atop your dal & put the lid on the slow cooker. In ten minutes – you will have authentically, smoky goodness! (The photo of the smoking charcoal is from my Smoked & Spicy Indian Eggplant Curry (Vegan – Vegetarian) – seen below.)
Vegan Smoked Dal Makhani Punjabi-Style (Black Gram/Urad Dal & Rajma) –
Serves 6+ with rice
INGREDIENTS
1 cup dry black urad dal – soaked overnight
1/2 cup dry red kidney beans – soaked overnight
1 onion – diced
2 serrano (or jalapeno) peppers – seeded & diced
2 TBS vegan butter (or coconut or olive oil)
4 cups water (or vegetable stock)
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 TBS garam masala
1/2 tsp amchoor
2 TBS dry methi leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
3 green cardamom pods
1 TBS fresh or jarred ginger (I used jarred)
4 garlic cloves – minced
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
Steamed rice
GARNISH – more sour cream, cilantro or fresh fenugreek leaves
DIRECTIONS
Soak the beans overnight. Drain & rinse.
INSTANT POT
Heat the oil or butter using the saute setting – saute the onion & peppers until soft. Put everything else in & cook, sealed, on manual for 35 minutes.
SLOWCOOKER
Put everything except the sour cream into a slow cooker & cook on high for at least 5 hours – maybe more. If you are going for the overnight uber-cooking (as I did) – leave it covered overnight. I left my cooker off as there was nothing in there that would spoil but – if you are not comfortable with that – add some water & leave it on warm overnight.
STOVE TOP
Heat the oil or butter and saute the onion & peppers in a large stock pot until soft. Put everything else in & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer until the beans are tender – 30 minutes or so.
Either way – the next step is the smoking (which you can skip but I recommend trying it because it is amazing. Heat the coal over a burner until it is red hot, place it in a metal bowl & drizzle olive oil on it & place it atop your dal & put the lid on the slow cooker or Instant Pot or pan. In ten minutes – you will have authentically, smoky goodness!
Now – stir in the sour cream. If it is too thin – add water or vegan milk to thin it. If it is too thin – cook it on high with the lid off until it thickens. Mashing some of the dal with a wooden spoon or pureeing with an immersion blender gives an even creamier result.
Garnish with a dollop of sour cream & serve with rice.
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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Ok – so I posted my Vegan Whole Turkey (seen above) – and the vegans on Facebook lost their collective shit. Despite knowing it was a vegan item – I got blocked & banned & verbally assaulted SAVAGELY. This video below is my response to the “You are not the right kind of vegan” attacks I got from the most self-righteous douchebags ever. I also show you how I reinvented a bunch of random leftovers into and epic Shepherd’s Pie.
Below the video here are the 14 recipes I suggest as potential uses for your holiday leftovers.
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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This is easy & can be made in 20 minutes. It is delicious & even meat eaters will delight in it. I brought it to a Thanksgiving diner yesterday & the hostess tasted my gravy & chose not to bother making a turkey-based version for her carnivorous guests. Everyone ate the vegetarian gravy & all were pleased!
Click the image below to watch the video.
Easy Vegan Gravy
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegan butter (or vegan alternative or olive oil)
1/2 – 3/4 cup shallots (or onion) – minced
1/2 cup flour
6 cups vegetable stock
1 TBS soy sauce
1/2 tsp Marmite
1 tsp black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Heat the stock in a pan.
Melt the vegan butter in another large stock pot. Add the chopped shallots or onion & cook a few minutes letting the butter heat just to the point of boiling. Add the flour & whisk it in until it is smooth. Lower heat to med-high & brown the roux just a bit – whisking constantly.
It should get very thick very quickly. Add the soy sauce & Marmite & black pepper. Whisk them in & then slowly add the stock in small increments. Here is where you can control how thin or thick the gravy gets. Let it thicken before adding the next portion of stock. When all the stock is incorporated – you can cook it down to thicken it more. If it gets too thick – add a bit of water. And there you have it! Enjoy!
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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Click the image above to watch the video.
I saw these odd looking apple pears at the awesome Super King (the one in Van Nuys is FAR roomier than the San Fernando location & much more civilized) – and thought they would make a nice pizza topping.
Ultimately – I burned out on pizza before using them so – using what I already had around – I came up with this pasta.
Anyway – this comes together in the same time it would take you to cook some dry pasta & it is full of surprising flavors. The garlicky Brussels Sprouts & the sweet pear & the creamy cheese – it is really yummy.
You can control how much cheese to use. Blue cheeses are really powerful & I recommend going light-handed with them – and then you get the added benefit of a fairly healthy dish that still tastes decadent.
Pasta with Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Creamy Gorgonzola and Pears
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb pasta – cooked & drained
1 pear – any variety – seeded & cubed
10 Brussels Sprouts – sliced thin
2 garlic cloves – minced
Vegan Gorgonzola or other vegan blue cheese (or even vegan cream cheese) – in the quantity that suits your taste
Olive oil
S&P
DIRECTIONS
Cook your pasta. Drain & set aside.
Meanwhile – heat a little olive in a pan that is large enough to hold all the ingredients – including your pasta. Saute the Brussels Sprouts over medium heat until they begin to brown – maybe 5 minutes. Add the garlic & pear & saute another minute or so. Stir to warm through & then add the pasta. Cook long enough to incorporate & warm everything & then stir in the cheese. Stir to get the cheese creamy & incorporated & then season with S&P.
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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Click the image below to watch a video for this recipe.
OK – this dish is really easy to make & wildly delicious! And – you get to smoke it yourself in just five minutes! This is a really cool new trick I learned & I cannot wait to find new ways to use it.
All you need is a piece of natural charcoal (without lighter fluid or chemicals) – like this:
You heat it up on the stove – like this:
There is one more step but I will get back to that later. There are a few steps involved in the overall recipe but all are very easy! And the only “exotic” ingredient is the garam masala. If you cannot find it or don’t feel like looking for it – you can make it from stuff you likely already have. Look for recipes HERE.
This recipe really makes quite a lot of this stuff – enough for four – more if you serve it with rice or naan or roti. If you don’t have lots of folks to feed & don’t want yummy leftovers – cut the recipe in half – at least. I like my Indian food very flavorful & I tend to double or triple the amount of spices that traditional recipes typically suggest. I will post this recipe with a suggested amount of each thing & then tell you what I used. This dish is spicy but not crazy spicy – but I do like heat. If you have a more tender palate – be conservative.
Oh – and check out this tip on how to cut an onion without crying!
Smoked & Spicy Indian Eggplant Curry
Feeds 4 generously – served with rice
INGREDIENTS
2 small onions – diced
1 red bell pepper – seeded & diced
6 medium tomatoes
30 raw almonds (or raw cashews)
3+ TBS vegan butter
2 lb eggplant (any variety) – cubed
1-2 TBS ginger – minced (I used 2 but mine was jarred. Maybe go lighter if you are using freshly grated ginger)
4-10 garlic cloves – minced (I used 10)
1-2 TBS garam masala (I used 1)
1-3 tsp chili powder (I used 1)
Cilantro – as garnish
(serve with steamed rice or naan or roti or tortillas)
for smoking the eggplant curry
1 lump of coal about the size of a lemon or larger
2 TBS olive or vegetable oil
1 small METAL bowl to safely hold the hot charcoal
You also need a large saute pan & some sort of cover. I used my wok cover.
DIRECTIONS
Soak the nuts in some water for 5 minutes. I used this metal dog food dish & used it again later in the smoking process.
(In the video version – I did not peel the tomatoes so feel free to skip this step.) Meanwhile – poke some holes in your tomatoes with the tip of a knife & drop them into boiling water. After a few minutes – you will see the skins curling off. Drain & run under cool water until you can handle them without burning yourself. Then core them.
Drain the nuts & then puree them in a blender with the tomatoes. Set aside.
Heat 3 TBS of vegan butter or olive oil in a large saute pan – large enough to hold ALL the ingredients. Over high heat – saute the onions & red bell pepper & eggplant. Saute until the eggplant begins to brown. Add more vegan butter or olive oil if needed. This should take about 10 minutes.
Add the garam masala & chili powder & the ginger – stir to incorporate. Add the garlic & stir for one minute – then add the tomato puree. Boil this for about 5-7 minutes until it thickens. If it gets too thick – add a bit of water.
When it looks about like this:
TURN OFF THE HEAT & put your metal bowl in the center of the pan.
Now – heat up the charcoal – like this:
When it is red hot or graying on the outside – USE METAL TONGS & put it in the bowl in the center of your curry. Then pour some olive or vegetable oil on it It will immediately begin smoking so – if you have a hood with vents – turn them on. Quickly – cover it up with a pot cover of some sort. I used my old & very beaten up wok cover.
Let this sit for 5-10 minutes & let the smoke work its magic. I went 6 minutes because I was afraid it would be too smoky. It wasn’t. In the future – I will go for ten minutes. CAREFULLY remove the metal bowl – with two pairs of tongs. DO NOT BURN YOURSELF!
DEFINITELY season this with salt. Do not be shy – but add it in increments. Salt is under-rated as a spice.
Then – just serve this over some rice or with naan or a tortilla or roti – garnished with some cilantro.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
I have a video on my Youtube channel for this recipe. Click the image below to watch & please subscribe.
This is a 5 minute recipe so – if you can boil pasta & own a blender – you can make this dish. I had an avocado that was about a day past its prime & loads of spinach – so this was born. I used a few serrano peppers for heat but that it totally optional.
*NOTE – I also used fresh basil that I had frozen a few weeks ago. Worked great – so – if you are ever wanting to preserve fresh herbs so they do not go to waste – they can be frozen & then used in pestos & sauces.
Vegan Pasta with Creamy Avocado & Spinach Pesto
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb pasta – cooked as directed
1 large avocado
2 packed cups of fresh spinach
2 garlic cloves
1/4 packed cup fresh basil *See note above
2 serrano or jalapeno peppers (optional) – seeded
1/2 to 1 cup vegan Parmesan (or nutritional yeast or a combo) – quantity to your taste
S&P to taste
DIRECTIONS
Blend everything except the pasta in a blender or food processor. Season with S&P & adjust anything else to suit your fancy.
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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I am reposting an updated version of my original post for these dished from July 30, 2013. Originally, this was posted as vegetarian recipes. I updated them to be vegan & there is a video on my channel to accompany it. Click the image below to watch & see how easy this stuff is to make.
From July 30, 2013:
In my hunt for other recipes meant to provide a cauliflower version of fried chicken, I ran into THIS post about Popeye’s Fried Chicken. Here is a picture from that site:
I have never eaten at Popeye’s or any other fried chicken joint (except KFC & Dinah’s here in Glendale) and I haven’t tasted ANY fried chicken in over 25 years – but my boyfriend Miles eats it all the time. In fact, he eats it weekly now that the famous Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken opened a few blocks away from him in downtown Little Rock. Miles is always sending me (at my request) pictures of the food he eats & I find myself looking at fried chicken so much – I have developed an undeniable craving for it. And – that blogger that spoke of an incredible meal at Popeye’s didn’t help. And that Delta sauce? I liked the sound of it & a few clicks here & there revealed that Popeye’s discontinued it. In fact, there seems to be quite a bit of hand-wringing going on about the now-unavailable Delta Sauce and that piqued my curiosity. Fortunately, the blogger who loved the Delta sauce posted a copycat recipe for it & I could not resist. So – I made it & I include that recipe here. It is like a spicy Thousand Island dressing & it is INCREDIBLE on my – wait for it – Southern Fried Cauliflower!
Doesn’t that look just like a fried chicken plate? I was so Goddamn happy with myself yesterday – you have no idea. If you make any of my zillions of cauliflower recipes – I have to say – it should be THIS one! So easy & so delicious! And if, like me, you don’t eat meat but the reasons for that do not include any distaste for meat products – this might really satisfy any existing fried chicken craving you might be in denial about.
It also includes some smashed baked potatoes & a vegan white gravy.
This is quite a decadent meal & the perfect fix on those days when the hole in your heart is bigger than your ass & you just don’t give a fuck. You wanna eat & you wanna eat something bad. This is as Paula Deen as I am likely to get but even with this dish – the fried chicken is really cauliflower & there is no bacon (or other meat) fat in any of it (excepting egg & milk) & the potatoes were made with a minimum of butter & WATER – because I’d run out of milk. So – seriously – AT LEAST try the southern fried cauliflower & Delta dipping sauce. I am certain you will enjoy!
Spicy Southern Fried Cauliflower and Delta Dipping Sauce with Smashed Baked Potatoes and White Gravy and Buffalo Mac & Cheese (All Vegan)
(This feeds about two (very well) so increase the recipes if you are feeding more. The mac & cheese recipe feeds at least 4.)
INGREDIENTS
For the Southern Fried Cauliflower
(depending on the size of your cauliflower – you may need more or less of the other ingredients – so maybe have extra on hand)
1 head cauliflower
2 eggs worth of egg replacer (optional)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
2 cups flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp each of S&P
1 tsp chipotle chili powder (or smoked or regular paprika)
1 tsp garlic powder
Lots of vegetable oil for frying
1 gallon zip lock baggy (not necessary but it makes life easier)
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub olive oil on the potatoes & sprinkle with salt. Bake them – DIRECTLY on the oven rack – for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven & allow to cool a bit. Peel the potatoes (I left bits of skin & browned spots for some color) & mash them up with the butter & some salt & pepper and as much milk or water (I used water as I was out of milk) as you need to get to a texture you like. I used an old school hand masher & left them chunky & on the drier side. I smashed them a bit more at the end with an immersion blender. You do it however you like.
For the white gravy
Heat the butter in a sauce pan & add the bouillon cube & the shallots. Cook a minute or two until the shallots soften & the bouillon cube is dissolved. Add the flour, sage & salt and pepper & stir constantly for about 2 minutes. It should be quite dry. Add the milk 1/2 cup at a time & allow it to thicken. Continue until all the milk is incorporated and heat until the gravy is at your desired thickness. Add milk if it is too thick.
For the Southern Fried Cauliflower
In a bowl – whisk together the egg replacer, water & hot sauce. I think you can omit the egg replacer with no real effect on the recipe.
In a zip lock bag or in a deep bowl – blend the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients.
Cut the cauliflower into the largest “drummettes” possible so they resemble chicken thighs & a few wings. I sprayed my cauliflower with water so the flour mix would stick.
Put the cauliflower in the flour mix & toss to coat. Dunk into the egg mix until covered & then back into the flour. Coat again with the flour.
I do not have a thermometer to measure oil temp but I think 350 is the correct temperature for frying. I just let it get hot, put one drummette in there & once that started bubbling pretty rapidly – I added a few more pieces
Turn a few times & fry until they are a golden brown all over. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all the cauliflower is cooked. Now – just divvy up the goodness & fill up that whole in your heart with some old school home cooking!
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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Honest to God – this might be the most fucking delicious vegan meal I have ever made! Seriously! And to think it only came together because I had a fridge full of random leftovers & ingredients that I needed to be done with. I had a package of Tofutti American cheese, several slices of their mozzarella cheese (both of which I totally shit-talked in my vegan cheese review) & some leftover pasta. Oh – and two Chinese eggplants.
I actually had this selection of vegan cheeses – seen above. I opted to use the individual slices first because 1) they were getting old and 2) I thought this dish would make better use of (read: mask) their less than fabulous flavor. Ultimately – I did use some of the other two cheeses, as well. The result is AMAZING! You can use whatever vegan cheeses you prefer but you are going to need about a pound of various cheeses – before all is said & done.
I used Chinese eggplant & I recommend them because they are less bitter & carry less moisture than regular eggplant.
I used nutritional yeast but a vegan Parmesan would also work. Or use neither.
This takes a few steps but all are simple & the result is a decadent feast that nobody would ever guess was vegan – at least with this particular combination of cheeses. I find some vegan cheeses taste more fake than others – so – the brands you use will matter – but I am certain lots of other brands would be just as yummy – especially the Field Roast Chao cheeses – my favorite of the vegan cheeses I have tried.
Whatever you do – get it together to make this – at least once. It really is killer!
10-Ingredient Vegan Eggplant Parmesan Mac & Cheese
Feeds 4-6 depending on appetites
INGREDIENTS
4+ cups or so of cooked pasta
2 Chinese eggplant (or other variety) – sliced 1/2″ thick
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or vegan Parmesan)
1 TBS dry parsley
8 oz (or 12 individual slices) vegan American or cheddar cheese (or a mix) – PLUS SOME EXTRA – just in case
4 oz (or 6 individual slices) vegan mozzarella – PLUS SOME EXTRA – just in case
(Extra grated vegan cheese to top the casserole – one that melts would be prettiest)
Mix the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast & dry parsley in a bowl. Put about 1/2 cup milk in another bowl. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Dunk the eggplant rounds in the milk & then through the breadcrumbs and drop into the hot oil. They should brown pretty quickly. Flip & brown the other side. Put on a cooking sheet & into the oven while you repeat the process until all the eggplant is cooked. You will likely need to wipe out the burnt breadcrumbs & add more oil with each batch.
In a stock pot, melt the American and/or cheddar cheese. Add vegan milk in small increments until it becomes creamy. Stir in the pasta. At this point – I decided it needed more cheese so I added two slices of this cheese (below) and a bit more milk & cooked it until it looked wet & yummy & creamy. I am not giving exact directions as to the cheese-milk-pasta ratio because different cheeses might have more or less moisture – and everyone has a different idea of how wet mac & cheese should be. I would suggest going a little wet – as the pasta & eggplant will absorb it & you won’t have a dry dish.
Look at that up there!!!! Doesn’t that look just ridiculous?! It was all I could do not to just start shoving it in my face. But I used considerable will power & continued with the recipe.
So – when you get your pasta-cheese-milk ratio to where it looks creamy but still a bit wet (so it won’t dry out in cooking) – take it off the flame.
Grease a casserole pan & layer half the eggplant on the bottom.
Add another layer of eggplant with the rest of the slices & top with pasta sauce.
In the same pan you melted the cheese in – melt the mozzarella & pour it over your casserole & pop the pan into the oven.
At this point – I took my dogs for a walk – COMPLETELY forgetting I had this in the oven. I think it needed 30-45 minutes in the 375 oven – but it got way more than that. Don’t burn yours. I kinda did. Look – not so pretty.
So – in an effort to make it pretty again – I grated some of that cheese above onto it & popped it back into the oven for about ten minutes. As you can see – it did little to make it prettier (that cheese did not want to melt) – but when I scooped it onto plates – it looked & SMELLED amazing!
So – maybe do not burn yours & it will be prettier but nobody needs to see it before it hits the plate, anyway.
So – scoop some onto plates & garnish with parsley and/or basil. I swear – this will fool people out of suspecting it is vegan. So yummy & comforting!
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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This is a really easy dish but this recipe makes a boatload so you might want to consider cutting it in half – or doublinf the tofu paneer recipe because that shit is yummy!
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Vegan Saag with Tofu Paneer
INGREDIENTS
for the tofu paneer
1 block extra firm tofu
4 TBS nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan
3 TBS olive oil
2 tsp salt
for the saag
2 lbs fresh spinach
3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS cumin seeds
1 small onion – chopped
6 garlic cloves – minced
2 TBS ginger
2 jalapenos – diced (optional)
1-2 TBS turmeric (start with one & add more if you think it needs it)
1-2 TBS garam masala (start with one & add more if you think it needs it)
1-2 TBS ground coriander (start with one & add more if you think it needs it)
1 TBS ground fenugreek (optional)
5 tomatoes – diced
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 cup of either vegan heavy cream or sour cream or cream cheese or a combination
DIRECTIONS
Whisk the nutritional yeast, oil & salt in a bowl.
Slice the tofu in half & place between paper towels. Rest something heavy on it to press out some moisture.
Cube the tofu & toss it in the mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Set aside.
Puree 1 lb of spinach with some water in a blender or food processor. Just use enough water to facilitate the pureeing. This is optional. You could opt to just chop half the spinach – or all of it.
Heat 3 TBS olive oil in as pan & add 1-2 TBS cumin seeds (use less for a less heavily spiced dish). When they start popping & get fragrant, add the onion & saute until soft.
Add the garlic & ginger & jalapenos. Saute a few minutes & then add the spices. Add some water to create a thin paste. Heat through & add the tomatoes. Add the sugar & salt & combine. Once the tomatoes are warmed & soft – start adding the fresh spinach until it all cooks down. Ad the pureed or chopped spinach & stir to combine. Stir in the vegan dairy you chose to use. Heat through. Taste & adjust seasonings.
Serve with the baked tofu paneer on top and some rice or naan.
All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2020
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