Rooting for Fall Flavors

Cool, crisp breezes, shorter days, it's Fall! Gone are the fresh, light and bright salads. In are the warm, robust flavors of slow oven cooking. I was feeling adventurous, and decided to forego my favorite stew for something new. Still buzzing on my inspiration from Miyoko Schinner's cheese classes, I decided to re-read the "Classic French Food" recipes she published in VegNews. Inspiration struck! The Boeuf Bourguignon recipe sounded amazing, but it was a Sunday and I didn't have a red wine and the recipe was a little too complicated for a lazy Fall day. Thus my variation....

First, what to serve it on? Potatoes? Noodles? Crusty baguette? Meh, none of that screams adventure. Instead, I opted for these gnarly little gems: Celeriac.

Celeriac is a root vegetable that has a slight celery and parsley-like brightness, and it can be mashed or pureed into a silky luscious base (think mashed potatoes.) It's also a great source of fiber with no fat and half the calories of a potato. Don't be afraid of what they look like on the outside. Using a knife to cut away the tough skin and root ends gives way to a vegetable that looks very similar to a raw potato.

My version of Bouef Bourguignon, which I'm sure will make anyone with any sense of french cooking scream "sacrebleu!" in disgrace, is a tasty dish I could make with food I already had in the kitchen and garden.

Faux Bouef Bourguignon (inspired by Gordon Ramsay's non-vegan version)

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

1-2T baco bits (or vegan bacon bits of your choice)

4 T balsamic vinegar (or some actual red wine and skip the step below)

2 T rice wine (or another cooking wine)

2 T tomato paste

1/2 pkg mushrooms

2 sprigs each of rosemary, thyme and parsley (if possible, tie the sprigs together to make it easier to remove)

1pkg Viana cowgirl steaks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small cast iron pan, saute the onion diced with baco bits until it begins to carmelize. Add in sliced mushrooms and let them cook down for a few minutes while adding in the garlic (minced or pressed). Top with the vinegar, wine and tomato paste and stir until well-blended. Add in the steaks diced and the herb sprigs and water until it reaches the consistency in the photo above (less than 1/4 c). Top with tinfoil and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes. It's done when at least half the sauce has been reduced. You can cook it on the stove if you want to keep a closer eye on it, but I was feeling adventurous. :) Go light on the salt because the Viana cowgirl steaks have a fair amount of sodium.

Celeriac Puree

2 lg celeriac

1 T olive oil

1/4 c plain non-dairy milk

a couple sprigs of thyme and rosemary

1/8 t cardamom

salt and pepper to taste

Heat saute pan over medium heat with olive oil and add diced celeriac and let cook 5 minutes while the celeriac starts to become golden and slightly browned. Add in the spices (no need to cut up the rosemary and thyme) with enough water to just barely cover the celeriac, cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes until a fork can easily pierce through the celeriac. Remove the herb sprigs and drain any remaining water. Use a food processor to puree, adding in the milk (or olive oil or water) until it reaches the consistency you want. Serve in a bowl topped with the Bouef Bourguignon.

Battles of the "Ricottas"

It was time to go from taster to maker of vegan cheese. After watching Miyoko Schinner, author of Artisan Vegan Cheese, whip up three different cheese in less than an hour...twice...I finally got the courage to get in the cheese making game. I mean I wasn't brand new. I highly recommend making vegan parmesan for true beginners. It's super easy and stores really well.

I chose to conquer ricotta because it was simple ingredients and instant gratification (no need to wait for it to culture.) Prior to trying Schinner's ricotta, the only vegan ricotta I had tried was Pizza Luce rinotta which is a vegan crowd pleaser, but doesn't really have the airy subtlety of Schinner's ricotta. This rinotta recipe packs a flavorful punch. In the pictures below you can see the ricotta is a whiter hue (lasagna) while the rinotta is more golden (pizza). After trying both, I'd say simplicity in recipe and taste wins out and go with Schinner's recipe.

Garden Harvest Lasagna

1 pkg lasagna noodles
2 batches almond ricotta (Miyoko Schinner recipe that requires soaked almonds, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic and fresh basil)
2 jars marinara
1 large zucchini
1 onion
1 pkg mushrooms
1 bell pepper
2 cups greens (I mixed spinach and kale from the garden)
4 cloves of garlic
2 T fresh oregano
1 T crushed red pepper
1/2 T dried basil (or a small handful of fresh basil if you have some left after the ricotta)
1 T olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Night before start soaking your almonds for the ricotta. If you don't have a vitamix (I don't), soak the for at least 12 hours and use a blender to mix up the ricotta. Preheat oven to 375 and put a stock or large pot of water on to boil for the lasagna noodles (no shame in using no boil and skipping this step.) In your biggest fry pan or saute pan, saute in olive oil diced onions until they begin to brown (~5 minutes.) Cut up each veggie and add it to the saute as you go to save time and allow the veggies to cook according to time needed. Add veggies in this order: after onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic and let cook until the veggies give up some of their moisture, add in spices, salt and pepper and stir, add the greens and fold them in slowly (you'll have a very full pan, but the greens will cook way down.) Add a half a jar of the sauce to the veggies and put on low. If you're cooking noodles, I'd recommend cutting the time in half (usually down to 4-5 minutes from 8 minutes rec'd on the package) and cook in batches for each layer. In a 9x13 pan, spread a half cup sauce on the bottom. Add noodles, followed by half the pan of veggies and 1/3 the ricotta mixture, add the next layer of noodles and repeat, add the final layer of noodles and spread the ricotta mixture across the top of the noodles and add 1/3 to 1/2 jar of sauce based on how much you want. Cover with tinfoil and cook for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook 10 minutes. Let rest 10-15 mins before serving.

Leftover Garden Veggies Pizza

1 pkg pre-made pizza crust (We used Whole Foods organic whole wheat crusts)
1 batch "rinotta" (you could also use the the ricotta from the recipe above ...you'll have enough leftover for a pizza)
1/2-3/4 c pizza sauce (or leftover marinara from the lasagna)
fresh veggie toppings of your choice (We used spinach, mushroom, onion, broccoli, bell peppers)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Assemble the pizza with a brush of olive oil on crust, smear of red sauce, generous coat of rinotta, and load it with toppings (or not depending on your liking). Cook on tinfoil on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until the pizza crust and toppings begin to brown. Let sit 5 minutes before cutting.

Recipe: Asian Jicama-Mango Salad

Jicama (pronounced like you're mid-hiccup when you call for your ma, "hick-ah-ma") is an often overlooked vegetable (well, actually a tuber similar to a potato) that deserves your attention. It's known as a Mexican Yam or Turnip and is a refreshing raw, slightly starchy treat with subtle flavors like green beans or peas and apples. Don't worry, it tastes nothing like a raw potato/yam or turnip.

Since it's refreshing and subtle, it pairs well with bolder flavors. Enter: Habanero. I have a love-hate relationship with this chili. I love its fruity, almost sweet heat. I don't like its intense heat. It can be up to 100x as hot as Tabasco sauce! You can avoid the heat by avoiding the capsaicin which is concentrated in the seeds and the pith where the seeds are attached.

Habaneros and jicama are from Mexico, so you can imagine all the Mexican flavor combos you could add. I was feeling adventurous though, so I went with some Asian flavors of ginger and sesame oil for my salad.

Asian Jicama-Mango Salad

1 large jicama
1 mango
1 bell pepper (color is your choice, mine was red)
1/4 c cilantro
7-8 radishes
handful of chives (or green onions)

Sauce:
1 T sesame oil
2 T lime juice
1 T brown rice vinegar
2 diced itsy-bitsy habaneros
1 T grated ginger
1 T bee-free honee (or a sweetener of your choice)

Dice the veggies small (see photo) and place in a bowl. Mix the sauce ingredients in a glass measuring cup (if you're worried about the heat, try 1/2 a habanero and up it until you're comfortable.) Blend the sauce well and add to veggie bowl and toss well. Serve cold or room temperature.

Don't forget one of the best parts...eating the mango you didn't cut off the seed...mmm...mango!!

Recipe: Taco Dip

Eating out is fun, but not nearly as fun as spending time making a full out meal at home. I'm not talking about a rush job like a sandwich or stir fry. I'm talking about an entree, side dishes... maybe even an appetizer. It's rare in our house to make the time to make full out meals. We're usually running from one thing to the other, or working late. But not tonight...and tonight was good, really good.

In celebration of the 4th of July, I wanted to make a vegan version of a family favorite: taco dip. It's layered with a chili-seasoned sour cream/cream cheese, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. This stuff is a hit at family gatherings and really easy to make vegan.

Vegan Taco Dip

1/2 tub Tofutti cream cheese (or your choice)
1/2 tub Tofutti sour cream (or your choice)
3/4 c Pace medium salsa (or your choice)
1 romaine heart
1 medium tomato
1/3 white onion
1 fresh jalapeno (optional)
1/2 T cumin (to taste)
1 T chipotle (to taste)
2 tsp ancho (to taste)
1/2 T garlic powder (to taste)
1 T lime juice (to taste)
1/2 T hot sauce (to taste

Mix cream cheese and sour cream in a small bowl until smooth. Add in spices, lime juice and hot sauce (you can skip this step by mixing in a half package of your favorite taco seasoning (check ingredients if you're making it vegan.)) Spread this mixture at the base of your dish (use a large dinner plate or you can double this recipe for a 9x11 dish). Top with the salsa and spread even (try not to mix the layers.) Dice the lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapeno and layer in that order on the salsa mixture (think you want to be able to get a good mix of this on a chip, so dice it small.) Serve with chips or fresh veggies.

That was just the appetizer! Check out this spread: homemade refried pinto beans; fajita-style peppers, onions and mushrooms; fresh guacamole; and jicama-mango salad (recipe upcoming.)

Hop to it! Easter Brunch



We went a slightly different route for our holiday meal than the plant-based recipes I featured a couple days ago. Our family decided to do Easter Brunch and my mom had scoured the internet in search of healthy vegan options. The menu was hers with the exception of the grilled asparagus and strawberry rhubarb crisp. She was Captain of the SS Brunch and ran a tight ship. Near noon, the kitchen was frantic with final preparations. I think I may have been told to hop to it a few times. In the end, it was a success and good times with the family.

Baked wonton wrappers filled with fruit salad

A few years ago, my mom and I took a brunch cooking class at Cooks of Crocus Hill where we learned to make a lime dressing for fruit and serve it in fried wonton wrapper. To make it lighter, we baked the wrappers in muffin tins. 

Blueberry Lemon Muffins and Apple Cinnamon (made with whole wheat flour and no oil)

 I made some modest tweaks on the muffins to sub in whole wheat flour and homemade applesauce for the oil in the blueberry muffins and for some of the apple juice in the apple cinnamon muffins.  These recipes need some tweaking in my opinion. The apple cinnamon muffins had a slight baking powder taste.

Hummus and Grilled Veggie Tart

 To save time, my mom used a pilsbury classic pizza crust and roasted the veggies without oil.

Deviled Roma Tomatoes with curried chickpea filling

 Deviled eggs are a staple of holiday dinners with my family, so Nava Atlas's deviled tomatoes were a great alternative. They were very elegant looking and tasted great. On suggestion of a reviewer of the recipe, I doubled the spices, but several in my family thought there was too much curry, so follow the recipe :)

Add some roasted asparagus and you've got a tasty brunch!

There were a couple non-plant-based brunch offerings on the table, but as you can see from the photo of my plate I was definitely not going without. In fact, I was stuffed! But what would a holiday meal be without dessert? So, we also made strawberry rhubarb crisp (using fresh rhubarb from my mom's garden!)

Super tasty and would be great with a non-dairy ice cream because
the sauce is lick your plate good (just ask my Grandma)

Iron Range Dispatch: Chick'n Scallopini Piccata

I'm up North to visit my family for the Easter holiday. I'd usually pack some groceries because there seems to be less vegan options at the grocery stores here. However, I got up at 6:30am itching to get on the road and thought I could make do with what I found. After all, I've been on a road trip for two days where most of my meals were hummus and pita or veggies. Imagine my surprise (and delight) when the Target in Virginia, MN carried Gardein products (and they were on sale!) Gardein contains oil, so they're not Engine 2 approved, but hey it's a holiday weekend.

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini Piccata

We made the Chick'n Scallopini Piccata recipe on Gardein's website which features lemon, capers, white wine, unchicken broth and earth balance margarine. My parents had some brown rice in the refrigerator so we sauteed carrots, onions and celery and made a quick pilaf seasoned with a little soy sauce. The Gardein Chicken Scallopini come pre-seasoned and take only 6 minutes to heat up. We found all the ingredients for this meal at the local Target and Natural Harvest Co-op. My mom wanted to know how they compare to chicken, so here's the stats:

That's right, people. When you compare equal serving sizes the vegan chick'n has MORE protein and less than half the fat than chicken. I was hungry and the scallopini piccata was so good I had 2 pieces (about 4.5 oz), but most days 1 piece with sides would totally be enough.

Plant-Based Easter Recipes

Technically, the Engine 2 28-day challenge I'm on ends on Saturday, but I got to looking around the interwebs and there is so many tasty plant-based options for Easter I'm thinking that's the route I'll go. For the holiday, I'll probably let a little oil into my diet to make the Gardein chick'n scallopini piccata recipe. Yum!

Take your pick of these tasty treats for your holiday!

Easter Potatoes

• Post Punk Kitchen's Creamy Avocado Potato Salad
• Post Punk Kitchen's Scalloped Potatoes and Eggplant Bacon
• Whole Foods Market's Skip the Potatoes Mashed Cauliflower
• Happy Herbivore's Brown Gravy

Main Event Entrees

• Engine 2's Lynn's Meatloaf
• Gardein's Macadamia-Encrusted Chick'n Scallopini with Mango Broccoli Slaw (contains oil)
• Gardein's Scallopini Piccata (contains oil)
• Caribbean Vegan's Holiday Ham 
• eCurry's Grilled Vegetable and Hummus Tart (slight modifications can make this Engine 2 approved)
• Meal Planning's Spring Vegetable Lasagna (slight modifications can make this vegan)
• Vegalicious's Artichoke and Hazelnut Canneloni with Lemon Soy Bechamel Sauce (not Engine 2 approved)

Sumptuous Sides

• VegNews' Beet and Mango Salad
• Straight Up Food's Kale Basil Salad
• Fat Free Vegan's Roasted Squash and Red Lentil Spread
• Delish's Guiltless Guacamole
• Grilled Asparagus or Broccoli

Desserts!

• VegNews' Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (contains oil)
• Frozen Banana Soft-Serve

My likely menu:

Scallopini Piccata (Grilled Veggie Hummus Tart is also a contender)
Creamy Avocado Potato Salad
Beet and Mango Salad
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Recipe: Ratatouille Pasta

Tonight, my fiance made a delicious dinner perfect for Spring/Summer: ratatouille pasta. I learned an easy way to remember the veggies in ratatouille: EZPOT (eggplant, zucchini, pepper, onion and tomato.) But don't forget the beautiful fresh basil. It really makes the dish. 

Ratatouille Pasta
Serves 4

1 eggplant
2 zucchini
2 red bell peppers
1 onion
28oz crushed tomatoes
1lb pasta (your choice)
fresh basil
crushed red pepper
garlic

Saute onions first in a nonstick or stainless steel pan. Add peppers, zucchini, eggplant and crushed red peppers and saute 8-10 minutes. Add veggies to tomatoes in a large pot, bring to a simmer and cover. Allow the sauce to cook for an hour. Boil water and cook pasta according to package. Add fresh basil and garlic to the sauce. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Serve garnished with fresh basil and vegan parmesan. 

Holy Cravings, Batman!

Wow, today was hard. I was craving all kinds of non-Engine 2 approved foods. Mostly sweets, like the cookies sitting out at work, but also for some odd reason the doritos taco at taco bell. When I left work, I was so tempted to stop at the coop and get a slice of vegan chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, but I resisted. Then a mile later, I started to think "what if taco bell doesn't carry the doritos taco after the challenge?" This was quickly followed by "that would probably be a good thing because there is little to no nutrition in that taco." The thought that won out was "get home and eat food from the fridge."

For dinner, I made a sesame ginger stirfry wrap (sorry for the bad picture, but I was too hungry to get it right.) It was super tasty and cured the cravings.

Sesame Ginger Stirfry Wrap
Serves 2-3

1/2 container wildwood sprouted tofu (vacuum pack) - baked in advance
1-2 large carrots
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 onion
2 anaheim peppers
1 T tamari or soy sauce
1 T chili garlic sauce
1/4 c Whole Foods no-oil Sesame Ginger Dressing
veggie broth (as needed)
2-3 French Meadow Sprouted tortillas
1/4 c fresh basil

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Dice the tofu into 1/2 or 1 inch chunks and spread out on parchment on a cookie sheet. Bake the tofu for 8 minutes, flip and cook for another 8 minutes. You can do this in advance or while you cook your veggies. Heat up your nonstick or stainless steel pan on high. Add diced onions and let them start to brown. Without the oil, you just got to stir the onions once they start to brown. If the pan starts to brown, just add veggie broth or water and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned goodness off the pan and into your veggies. Add the diced anaheim peppers and continue the saute. Add sliced carrots. Add small broccoli bites. Add your tofu. Stir in your chili garlic paste, tamari and sesame ginger sauce. Let the veggies cook in the sauce. If you want more sauce, add in some veggie broth. Roll your basil leaves together and slice it very thin to garnish your wrap. Turn off the tofu veggie mixture and let it cool while you heat the tortillas over the open flame of your oven (or in the microwave). Serve the mixture in the tortilla with fresh basil. You can add fresh spinach or cabbage, lime, peanuts...be creative and have fun!

Chickpeas and Chocolate Chips?

There are some great plant-based recipes on pinterest, but today I found one from an unlikely source: my cousin. She's got a board called "food I'll never make" where she posts recipes that look good to her. The recipes range from chicken dishes to desserts. Today, she had one titled "this is HEALTHY!!!!wow" with a photo of chocolate chip cookie dough. I've been jonesing for something sweet that isn't banana soft-serve, so I thought why not check it out. To my surprise, it was vegan and I had all the ingredients in the house (except the chocolate chips.) Even more surprising, it called for chickpeas! Ok, now I have to try it.

Well, it's good...surprisingly. I substituted maple syrup for the sugar (I think that's why it looks wetter than most dough) and used Enjoy Life's mini chocolate chips which are dairy-free. I'll definitely be making this one again.

A shepherd to follow

I haven't been blogging daily on this challenge and was surprised to realize I'm on day 16 of the March Engine 2 28 day challenge already. This time around has been harder because it isn't new, so it's not preoccupying as much of my time or mind. I'm still seeing great results including losing 7 pounds. It's harder to imagine sticking to this way of eating year round though. My mind keeps wandering to how much easier it would be if I didn't care about what I ate.

 My birthday is coming up next week, and it took me awhile to come up with something to do to celebrate since eating out or even having people over would be difficult to navigate and food would seemingly take center stage of the conversation.  I finally settled on going to see a new exhibit at an art museum which should be fun and not food-focused. It's possible to eat this way all or most of the time and have things not be about food all the time. It's just about getting comfortable with a new way of doing things. I'm working on it.

Tonight, I'm trying a new recipe from Engine 2: Shepherd's pie. I was never crazy about the traditional shepherds pie because it was greasy, mushy and kind of bland. With no oil and lentils instead of meat, this version is definitely not greasy. I added onions, garlic, peas, carrots and thyme to the recipe and it definitely wasn't bland. The recipe they listed on facebook that I followed should have called for pre-cooked lentils, but I didn't know that and added dry lentils.  By adding some water and cooking them with the rest of the ingredients, the lentils gave it some texture (so not mushy.) Most who know me know I hate gravy, but this quick brown gravy version worked well with the dish.

Icy love

One of the changes I made when first starting the Engine 2 28-day challenge in January was to give up caffeine. This isn't required under the Engine 2 guidelines, but for me caffeine was really just a pseudonym for soda and sugary coffee drinks which aren't allowed because of the sugar and processing. My dentist and my doctors have for years suggested I give up soda because it's not good for your teeth and health. However, the sugary fizz and caffeine buzz was very addicting and I couldn't stick to letting it go until it was time to start the Engine 2 challenge. I knew I wouldn't survive the challenge if I was drinking caffeine. I went through caffeine withdrawals including headaches and low energy for three days. On the other side, I've got more steady energy, no late afternoon energy crashes and I'm drinking more water.

I'm not a saint though. I want some fun drinks and herbal teas or fruit-flavored waters don't always cut it. At first I started ordering caffeine free tea lattes with soymilk at coffee shops. My favorite was decaf earl gray with soy milk. However, it wasn't available at most coffee shops and I got tired of strange combinations like blueberry rooibos, so I took up decaf soy lattes. With summer approaching, I've been craving cold press coffee, but most coffee shops don't offer decaf. What to do? Make my own!

Friends have been telling me for years about this delicious and inexpensive New York Times' cold-brewed iced coffee recipe. This weekend, I finally got around to making it and it's good. The only steps that even slightly involve thinking are: 1) grind your coffee on the coarse setting (the recipe says medium coarse, but most in store grinders don't have that setting and the nice folks at Whole Foods Market told me they grind theirs with the nob all the way to the left (coarse).) and 2) use a mason jar to store the cold-brewed coffee so you can use the cover ring to hold the coffee filter in place when you're filtering out the grounds. I'm looking forward to experimenting with different decaf blends to find my favorite.

Enjoy!

Grillin' Time

The weather in Minnesota is more reminiscent of early summer than not quite spring. We were wooed by the perfect 70 degree day this weekend to grill. Our friends were coming over to visit a friend who was visiting from California, so despite yesterday being St. Patrick's Day we went with an Italian theme because vegan Italian is much more accessible than corned seitan.

When making a marinara without olive oil, the trick is to really give the tomatoes time to develop depth. This is the difference between tomatoes straight from the can and tomatoes that simmer for about an hour. Good marinara sauce is simple. Carmelize some onions in pan (no oil needed if you get the pan hot, stir and use broth or water to loosen the browned bits from the bottom.) Add the oregano, garlic, basil to the onions. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer away. If you want to lower the salt content, try tamari (or reduced sodium soy sauce) instead of salt. Super tasty!

If we were making this just for us, we would have piled the veggies in with the spaghetti. I'm glad we didn't because it gave my fiance the idea to grill up a ratatouille. Using broth, garlic and pepper, he marinated ratatouille's EZPOT (eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions and tomatoes) and some portabellos for good measure.  We cut them into bite size bites and added a LOT of fresh basil. Holy delicious! We'll be making this again, for sure.

Serve this with a fresh salad and you'll get easily 3-4 servings of veggies in one meal!

Sweet 'Nana

One thing I gave up when going back on the Engine 2 challenge was the apple fritter from my local coffee shop. What can I say? I love sugary sweet. I also know it's not good for me and I need alternatives. On the challenge, I've returned to my standard puffed millet and uncle sam's toasted cereal for breakfast, but by the end of the day I'm craving something sweet. The solution? Frozen banana soft serve!

This is going to become a hot weather staple for you, I promise! You can either use new bananas or ones that have browned past their prime. Peel the bananas, break them in thirds and put them in a bag ( I like to make sure they are in a single layer and push out the extra air before sealing to make it easier to remove the frozen bananas.) If you have frozen bananas in the peels, you can use them...they're just harder to peel when frozen. I put them in the microwave for 5 seconds and use a paring knife to get the peel started.

Michelle's Favorite Frozen Banana Soft Serve Recipe

1 - 1 1/2 frozen bananas
2 T milk alternative
1-2 t vanilla extract (optional)
2 T peanut butter (optional)
2 t chocolate extract (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pulsing or stirring can help break down last remaining frozen banana chunks for a soft serve texture.

You should have fun with this recipe. What is your favorite flavor combo with banana? Add some cocoa powder or chocolate chips...maybe even some oreos? Go the tropical route and add in strawberries or coconut. You could even substitute your favorite liquor for the milk alternative...kahlua or coconut rum and banana soft serve? Have fun with it and enjoy!

Luck of the Irish or Italian?

It just dawned on us that we're hosting an out-of-town guest over St. Patrick's Day weekend ... and we're having a dinner at our house on Saturday in her honor. Hmm. this is kind of screaming traditional Irish dishes done in an Engine 2 approved way, isn't it?

St. Patrick's Day standards are usually really heavy on meat, butter, cabbage and potatoes. Luckily, two of those 4 are already Engine 2 approved. Now, how to make the whole meal friendly to our challenge?

Consider yourself lucky as a leprauchan because my fiance has been done all the work for us compiling these great plant-based recipes from Fat-free Vegan Kitchen:

Corned "beef", cabbage and roasted potatoes
Colcannon puffs
Irish white bean and cabbage stew

My addition:

Whole wheat irish soda bread with raisins

Although this is an exciting adventure of a spread, we decided to play it safe by making a marinara pasta with a side salad. We'll look for an opportunity to make some of these dishes when we don't have a dinner party to host with folks who aren't on the Engine 2 challenge.

Bacon Your Pardon

As the start of phase II of the Engine 2 28-day challenge fast approaches, I wanted to do a little somewhat healthy sinful indulging. What's more indulgent than bacon? So, this morning I made a BATO (bacon, avocado, tomato and onion sandwich with mayo, of course.) Oh, did I mention it's all plant-based?

I started with Tofurky's smoky maple bacon tempeh. To give you a comparison, check out the nutritional facts comparing Tofurky's bacon tempeh to Oscar Mayer's original (I had to do a little excel calculating because tofurky's serving size was 7 slices (87g) and Oscar Mayer's was 14g with no mention of how many slices that equaled. You can see if you care about calories, fat, cholesterol or sodium Tofurky wins hands down. For protein, Tofurky had only half of Oscar Mayer's. 

Nutrition is important, but taste matters too. I didn't taste test the oscar mayer bacon (I did eat it growing up), but rather I was interested in testing the difference between following the package directions for the Tofurky bacon by cooking it in oil or going oil-free. As you can see in the picture, the pieces cooked in oil (lower left) had more of a baconesque shine (grease) and better color. The aroma when you cook this stuff is definitely reminiscent of a maple bacon. If you want a close bacon substitute, I would recommend cooking it in oil and getting the pan really hot to assist in the crisping (a cast iron pan would be preferred to the non-stick I used for this experiment.) 

Finally, the BATO sandwich. This is essentially the same recipe as my I'm Heartin' It breakfast sandwich, substituting Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Tempeh for Gimme Lean veggie sausage. I did add some Earth Balance vegan mayo because I like how the tomato mayo combo tastes on your average BLT. 

If you like avocado and the taste of bacon, this sandwich will knock your socks off ... all while being much kinder to your heart than the alternative.

"Tuna", Aight?

One of the things I've missed most not eating meat is tuna sandwiches. Now I know, with the high levels of mercury, women of childbearing age should limit their intake of tuna, but I loved that stuff. I'd start with your basic albacore tuna in a can, miracle whip (yeah I'm not ashamed to admit it), onions and pickles and then be creative by adding in other things like roasted red peppers or peppadews, carrots, celery, whatever I had around. Top it with tomatoes, lettuce on toasted bread and it's a meal for kings (or queens.)

While on the Engine 2 28-Day Challenge, I tried Whole Foods mock tuna wrap and was surprised at how tuna like it tasted. It got me thinking of a mishap in the kitchen my fiance had when he added a little too much dulse, a seaweed, to his baked beans. Dulse is sometimes used to thicken dishes, but definitely has a little "of the sea" taste. In fact, those baked beans tasted like a steaming plate of fish. Well, hmmm, wouldn't that be perfect for some mock tuna?

I did a little research and found Happy Herbivore's mock tuna recipe. Having looked at the recipe quite awhile ago, I only used it for inspiration. For one thing, I mashed the chickpeas with a potato masher rather than using a food processor. The difference is by mashing you get the consistency of albacore tuna in a can rather than the mushier "chicken of the sea" or tongol variety. It's really your call.

Mock Tuna
4 servings

1 can no/low salt chickpeas
1/2 onion
1 roasted red pepper
2 T vegan mayo (you can make this Engine 2 approved by substituting whipped silken tofu)
3/4 T dulse (Happy Herbivore uses kelp. It's smart to start with less and flavor to your preference)
1 T lime juice (To make the mayo taste like miracle whip :) )
2 tsp garlic powder
dash of black pepper

Mash or food process your chickpeas to your preferred tuna consistency. Add diced veggies, mayo, seaweed and spices. Don't forget the lime juice or other "sour" flavoring, like vinegar if you want a miracle whip flavor :).  Taste and adjust to your flavor preference. Enjoy on a salad, in a wrap or on bread. This keeps well in the fridge.

You can add in shredded carrots, celery, diced pickles, really whatever you like in your tuna sandwich. Watch the video for happy herbivore's recipe for some other ideas.

I whipped this stuff up last night and when I got home from the gym today had a tasty lunch ready in less than 5 minutes. The benefits are this version has no cholesterol (in fact with high fiber bread, this sandwich can help lower cholesterol!) and is very low in sodium and fat. If you're eating tuna for the omega-3 benefit, you could add some flaxseeds or flaxseed meal to the mix.

To our health,
Michelle

Comfort

We've been a little stressed out the last week with extra work, taxes, big purchases, etc. I woke up this morning to my fiance worried about a mysterious charge on his bank account. The stress was visible in the wringing of his hands. There wasn't much I could do to help, but I thought maybe making one of his favorite breakfast dishes would bring a little comfort.

I'm not much of a biscuits and gravy fan myself. I usually find it pretty bland and greasy. Now, my fiance hasn't had biscuits and gravy since the Engine 2 28-day challenge because even the vegan versions we've had out seem oily and salty. So, I challenged myself to make a healthier version (it's not Engine 2 approved though because I did use a little olive oil and a salty faux sausage) that even I would like. Thanks to Punk Rock Kitchen's Vegan with Vengeance cookbook for the inspiration.

Michelle's Healthier Biscuits and Gravy
3-4 servings

1 can no salt added cannellini beans (can't find no salt? just rinse the beans to cut the salt in half)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 c low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 yellow onion
2 cups frozen veggies (peas and carrots are a good combo)
2 links of veggie sausage (I had tofurky beer brats, so that's what I used.)
2 tsp sage
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
1 pkg Ezekiel 7-grain english muffins (usually in the freezer section)
parsley if you have it

Blend the rinsed beans, olive oil and 1/4 c veggie broth until smooth. In a pan, add diced onions and let brown and then add veggie sausage. Use the extra veggie broth in small doses to saute the onions and sausage by loosening the browned goodness from the bottom of the pan. Add in the blended bean mixture and spices. Adjust spices to your tastes. If you are using italian sausage, you may not want to add the basil, oregano, garlic and red pepper flakes. It's your call! Add in frozen veggies and if you want a thinner gravy a little more veggie broth. Heat on stove top. If the english muffins were frozen, heat for 30 seconds in microwave, flip and heat another 30 seconds before adding them to the toaster. I toasted them whole because my toaster could and I wanted them like biscuits out of the oven.  Serve and enjoy.

Did the biscuits and gravy melt away all the stress and worry? No, but they were a tasty, healthy breakfast break.

Now it's off to the gym in honor of my 28-day 30 minutes a day workout challenge. Have a good weekend.

To all of our health!
Michelle

Let's Get Stew-pid

What is it about bay leaves? They have some sort of magical property that makes soups, especially stews, really sing. Tonight for dinner I made a version of  the hearty winter stew from Whole Foods' Crockpot recipes from the Engine 2 challenge.

Stew-alicious Stew

1 yellow onion
2-3 carrots
3 yukon gold potatoes
1 turnip
4 celery stalks
4 garlic cloves
1 package of seitan
1 carton potato leek soup
1-2 c. veggie broth
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
Bragg's or soy sauce to taste

Dice onions and start to saute on high heat (no oil!). Add diced carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic and turnip (add as you dice so they can brown). If your pan starts to brown, just add some potato leek soup or veggie broth to loosen that browned veggie goodness. Add the seitan, thyme and black pepper. Add the potato leek soup, veggie broth and bay leaves. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Enjoy!

My Valentine

With the fiance working late, I decided to "do it up right" with a surprise valentine's day dinner for him. Not to much of  a surprise seeing as I blogged a few days ago about seeking inspiration, but it was a much appreciated opportunity for us to celebrate and enjoy one another's company over good food. By setting the table, having a couple courses and playing some music in the background, dinner was transformed from something we eat in front of the TV to a chance to connect and share.

The appetizer was heirloom tomato, avocado, fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. A play on the caprese minus the dairy, salt and oil. The avocado was a great addition and the basil was really a star.

For the main course, I drew on the ingredients from our last winter share from Featherstone Farms that arrived on Valentine's Day. The potatoes and celeriac became a puree with a little rice milk. I served that with Happy Herbivore's portobello "steak" with balsamic onion sauce and a side of Ina Garten's sauteed broccolini featuring lemon and garlic. Having sampled the sauces and flavors, I knew we'd want some bread to gather every last bit, and Seward Coop carries Rustica Bakery's Miche which is wheat and rye sourdough. Rustica Bakery was named 1 of the 10 top bakeries in the US by Bon Apetit, and their bread is out of this world!

 

Dinner was delicious, but even better it was a chance to catch up on one another's day and celebrate our love for one another. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!