Virtual Vegan Potluck: Summer Saute with Fresh Corn and Cremini Mushrooms

Welcome to the third Virtual Vegan Potluck! I’m so excited to participate again this time. When preparing ideas for a main dish, I went straight to the Post Punk Kitchen for ideas. Expert food blogger Isa Chandra Moskowitz prepared a fabulous seitan saute dish that is perfect for the start of summer. I knew I had to create this dish but with black beans instead of seitan. I can’t resist the combination of black beans and corn! And what is a Mexican-inspired dish without a little guacamole on the side? Serve with chips for a light lunch or rice on the side for dinner. Delish!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium red onion, in thinly sliced half moons
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (include seeds if you want it spicier)
• 1 can of black beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels, from 2 ears of corn
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Fresh black pepper, to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat two teaspoons of olive in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes.

2. Add the black beans and corn in to the pan with one additional tablespoon of oil. Cook for five more minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms, cilantro, salt and pepper. Cook for five minutes.

4. In a separate and smaller pan, saute the garlic in the remaining oil. Add the garlic to the pan and pour or squeeze the fresh lime juice over the mixture.

5. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired, and enjoy!

Fake Sausage and Real Mushrooms

I’ll never be a big fan of fake meat but I like to buy different types on rare occasions. Today there was a special occasion: my first visit to our local co-op. Yes, I’ve lived here for almost three years as a vegan (and vegetarian for part of that time) and never made it to our co-op. Turns out the co-op is ridiculously close to where I live. It is about a 5 minute drive which is much better than driving 20 minutes to Whole Foods. It is more expensive than Whole Foods (yes, that is possible) but I’m oddly ok with that.

I had a frozen bag of mirepoix mix and some quinoa on hand for lunch. I cooked up one portobello mushroom cap and the fake sausage from the co-op. I’ve tried a few bites of Tofurkey Italian Sausage but never actually purchased it on my own before. It has a lot of flavor and browns easily in pan on the stove. I’ve been adding it to salads all week which has worked out pretty well. I used a little bit of marinara sauce, some curry seasoning and Asian seasoning. I couldn’t really decide which way to go but somehow the odd mix of flavor was delicious. It’s an easy and cheap meal to throw together so I will have to make this more often! And I am definitely returning to the co-op to find more vegan treats!

Zesty Spaghetti Squash ‘n’ Cheese

Because mac ‘n’ cheese is so 90s. And because I’m eating spaghetti squash four days a week. After a while, you have to start getting creative. I’ve made guacamole spaghetti squash, brown sugar and cinnamon spaghetti squash and good old tomato and basil spaghetti squash. Just to name a few. At some point with any vegan recipe, you need to add a little cheese substitute and see how it turns out. In this case, it turned out well. I love that it has a little kick to it and it doesn’t taste too much like fake cheese poop. Or something. If you haven’t made spaghetti squash yet, be prepared to join the cool kids table at the cafeteria. Dinner just got real.

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash (2.5-3 lbs)
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter spread
• 1 Tbsp Tahini sauce (ground sesame seed sauce typically located near salad dressings and peanut butter)
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (the flaky yellow stuff sold in bulk at Whole Foods)
• 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat the entire spaghetti squash in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften the skin. Allow the squash to cool and then slice it through the middle lengthwise. Remove the seeds inside just like removing pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin.

3. Place both sides of the squash in a lightly greased baking pan with the cut sides down. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

4. Use a fork to scrape the “strands” of spaghetti from each half of the squash.

5. Mix remaining ingredients in with the spaghetti squash and serve warm.

Super Kale Chili

It’s a good day for a hearty bowl of black bean chili. I added some kale and couscous to the chili and topped it with croutons. It’s freezing here so chili is a good choice for this time of year in the Midwest. The Super Bowl took place in Indy last year and it was unforgettable. There is nothing quite like experiencing it first hand. It won’t be the same this year without having the game in town but this chili will help me get over it.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 can of veggie black bean chili or two cups of your favorite homemade chili
• 1 cup of kale, shredded into smaller pieces
• 2 Tbsp of croutons (check ingredients for dairy products)

Directions:

1. Bring a 1/2 cup of water to boil. Add couscous, stir, and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

2. Heat a can of veggie black bean chili over the stove or prepare your own. Allow it to heat through completely.

3. Add in the kale and cook until it is soft and darker in color.

4. Combine the couscous in with the chili and kale.

5. Serve immediately and top with vegan croutons.

Ahh, Super Bowl last year…

A Year of Vegetables!

A year ago today I posted my first cute little blog post about smoothies. Ah how long it’s been since January 30, 2012. It’s been a year to be exact but I can measure the year in so many other ways (525,600 minutes, perhaps?). I wasn’t sure if blogging would just be one of those things I kept up with for a month and then forgot about. I didn’t know if I would be writing for my own sake or writing for others. I had no idea how many “others” I would meet who I will probably never meet in person. Thanks to all the amazing fellow bloggers and readers from the past year for support and inspiration. It’s certainly been a fun experience! And now, a little walk down memory lane…

• I brought raw lasagna to the Virtual Vegan Potluck. And then I brought hummus pizza to round two. Must have some sort of Italian craving.
• I traveled from East Coast to West Coast.
• I ate tofu lettuce wraps to start, kale-a-flower pasta for my main course, and some caramel brownies for dessert.
• I ran a half marathon and then ran some more.
• I hosted a 1920s dinner party and probably should have invited some very diverse vegans.

Who knows what the next year holds in store for V is for Vegetables. Let’s hope the year is full of fun, friends, and fegetables (sorry, I needed another f-word and decided against the obvious choice). On to the next vegetable-filled year!

Tofu, Basmati Rice and Veggies

Quick shout out to my sister and mom for finding me some fabulous new kitchen items for you to look at. I think both items pictured are from Anthropologie. That store always has fun stuff. I particularly love my new grey and yellow bowl and blue dish cloth. I love the bowl so much that I decided to fill it with more good stuff: tofu, basmati rice, caramelized onion, carrots and corn.

Ingredients:

• 1 white onion, sliced into thin rings
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp Earth Balance or other butter substitute
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 block of tofu (roughly 12 ounces), drained and cut into 1″ x 1″ cubes
• 1/8 cup of whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 10 baby carrots, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup of corn kernels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place onion ring slices on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes stirring frequently until slightly burnt and caramelized.

2. Melt Earth Balance or butter substitute in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic clove and saute for 1 minute. Add rice, water, and salt. Bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Allow rice to simmer for roughly 20 minutes until tender and all liquid is absorbed.

3. Drain tofu on paper towels to remove most of the excess water. Cut the tofu into 1″ x1″ cubes.

4. Mix the flour or bread crumbs together with the black pepper in a small bowl. Dip each tofu cube into the flour or bread crumb mixture to form a lightly breaded crust around each piece.

5. Using a large skillet sprayed with a coat of non-stick cooking spray, cook the breaded tofu pieces until they are golden brown on each side. Add the carrots and corn to the skillet toward the end and cook for 5 minutes until heated through. Add the basmati rice and caramelized onion to the skillet and serve warm.

Yields 3-4 servings

Adapted from: www.myrecipes.com

The Meal I’ve Spent My Life Searching For: Spicy Thai Tofu

In my mind, there is no better cuisine than Thai food. I live almost 9,000 miles from Thailand and I’m surrounded by Campbell’s chicken noodle soup and Kraft mac n’ cheese. I grew up on these foods yet I am more than happy to abandon American comfort food for some pad broccoli. Typically, familiar foods from our childhood become our comfort foods. In my case, Thai food will always be my comfort food. Unfortunately, the local Thai restaurants charge around $12-$14 per person. I’m not entirely sure how tofu, rice and vegetables could possibly cause such a expensive bill. It is also hard to tell what sauces are lurking in Thai meals. Many restaurants incorporate oyster sauce, fish sauce, chicken broth, and other meat-friendly liquids. As a result, I have always wanted to make some good Thai food at home.

When it comes to Italian food, it is rather simple. Fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, a little olive oil and you can do no wrong regardless of what you are making. With Thai food, it is a little more complex in my opinion. You can easily miss the mark and end up serving squishy tofu soaked in soy sauce. Yum.

The taste of my most recent attempt at Thai food has brought the local Thai restaurant kitchen into my own home. It is fresh and light. Sweet and spicy. Healthy and nutritious. Ok, technically… it is “somewhat healthy” and “somewhat nutritious” but that’s ok. What is the point of cooking if you can’t indulge occasionally? I’ve always wanted this indulgent Thai dish to be available in my home whenever I crave it. So here it is… The Meal I’ve Spent My Life Searching For:

Ingredients:

• 12-14 oz of extra firm tofu
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tsp Thai chili garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, cut into thin slices
• 1 Tbsp ginger and garlic Asian seasoning mix
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 portobello mushroom cap, cleaned with stem and gills removed, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 cup baby spinach
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Drain the water from the tofu. Cut the tofu into 1″ x 1″ cubes and broil the pieces in the oven for 3-5 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Flip the pieces roughly half way through broiling to ensure an even color.

2. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet or heavy wok. Add the red curry paste, Thai chili garlic paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low so that the sauce is simmering.

3. Add the garlic and onion to the skillet or wok. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the Asian seasoning mix, tofu cubes, red bell pepper, and mushroom cap pieces. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

4. Stir in the sugar snap peas, spinach, salt and pepper. Continue stirring items together gently until spinach is slightly wilted. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Yields: 2-3 servings

*I would consider this dish to be “medium” spicy or a 3 out of 5 on the “spicy scale” that many restaurants use. You can certainly turn the “heat” up or down by using more or less of the chili and curry pastes.

$2 Dinner

1 can of black beans + 1 avocado + a little corn and a little red onion + dash of S&P = lazy dinner for one. Healthy food is not ridiculously expensive. Bypass surgery, Lipitor, blood glucose monitors, gym memberships, Nutrisystem… those things are ridiculously expensive.

Roasted Corn and Tofu Wrap

I have two excuses to avoid running these days. 1. It’s officially really cold out and 2. it’s getting late much too early. It’s not that I don’t want to work out. I am dying to go for a run every day after work, which says something. However, I can’t get myself to run in the cold, dark night. Or on a treadmill. Therefore, I have to eat less. When salads get boring, I turn to wraps. I saw a tofu veggie wrap on the menu at a local deli in town and decided I had to make one at home. It turned out better than I could have imagined, primarily because of the fabulously sweet roasted corn. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole wheat wrap
• 2 Tbsp garlic hummus
• 1/2 cup lettuce
• 1/4 cup sprouts
• 1/2 avocado, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/3 block of extra firm tofu (4-5 oz) cut into small, bite-sized squares
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 tsp seasoning mix
• 1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Spread hummus on wrap. Add lettuce, sprouts, and avocado.

2. Heat oil over medium heat in skillet. Add red onion and frozen corn. Cook until onion is translucent (5-7 minutes) and corn has thawed.

3. Add tofu to skillet and stir often. Cook until tofu is golden brown. Sprinkle with seasoning and salt.

4. Add the tofu and corn mixture to the wrap. Wrap up tightly and enjoy immediately.

Lemon Seitan Stir Fry

The only thing I love more than the taste of Upton’s Natural seitan is the name. Whoever decided to start up seitan company in Chicago and call it Upton’s is a genius. I knew I had to make something tasty with my seitan since it is a delicacy for me. My local grocery store doesn’t sell seitan (shame) so I have to drive 20 minutes to Whole Foods. Totally worth it. Except when you get all the way there and realize that you left your credit cards at home. I had to drive back home to get my cards then back again to Whole Foods. Basically devoted two hours of my day to Whole Foods. Not to mention, roughly $100 to Whole Foods, too… Whoops! Still totally worth it.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 – 8 oz package of seitan (I used the Italian flavor – delicious!)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced or 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 red onion sliced into thin rings
• 1 small broccoli crown, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 green pepper, chopped
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup dry couscous

Directions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the seitan and crumble it into smaller chunks. Squeeze or pour the lemon juice in with the seitan. Cook in oil and juice for 8-10 minutes until heated through and darker in color.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Add red onion, broccoli, and pepper to a medium-sized roasting pan. Toss in remaining olive oil. Place in oven for 20 minutes total. Stir every 5 minutes. When only 5 minutes remain, toss the rosemary, thyme, and pepper in with the roasted vegetables.

3. Boil 1/2 cup water in a small sauce pan. Add the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork.

4. Combine seitan, roasted vegetables, and couscous together and serve.