Kimberly Steele's Blog, page 11

Daily Vegan Lunch for 9 October, 2013: Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

This was so rich I could not eat the whole thing. Supposedly it was Elvis Presley’s favorite.

INGREDIENTS FOR ONE SANDWICH:

1 banana, sliced thinly

2 pieces of white bread

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 teaspoon oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Spread both slices of bread with 1 tablespoon each peanut butter. Make into a sandwich with the sliced banana. Heat a teaspoon of oil to medium-high heat in a fry-pan. Once the oil is hot enough to spread when pan is tilted, make sure the pan is coated evenly. Fry the sandwich on each side for about 1 minute per side.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 8 October, 2013: Curried Tempeh Salad Sandwich

INGREDIENTS:

1 package tempeh, cut into cubes

3 cups water for simmering

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup sweet bell pepper, chopped

1.5 cups celery, chopped

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon agave nectar or 2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon tahini (sesame seed paste/butter) or hummus

DIRECTIONS:

Bring water to a simmer on medium-high heat. Add the cubed tempeh and allow it to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. You don’t actually need this step but I find the tempeh is much yummier when I simmer it in water first. Drain the tempeh cubes and let them air dry in the strainer or colander.

Add drained tempeh to chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper in a medium sized bowl. Add all spices and agave nectar or sugar. Add vegan mayonnaise and tahini or hummus and mix well. Taste test and add salt if needed. Chill for about 3 hours before serving on toast.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 7 October, 2013: Tempeh Bacon and Cream Cheese Sandwich

TEMPEH BACON INGREDIENTS:

1 package of tempeh, sliced thinly

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

5 drops liquid smoke

Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Mix soy sauce, maple syrup, and liquid smoke in a bowl. Soak each piece of tempeh in the liquid for a few seconds and turn over, soaking for a few more seconds. Fry the tempeh bacon slices in a little oil on medium heat. Turn over after they brown, about 2 minutes each side.

I used homemade vegan cream cheese made of cashews and almond yogurt to assemble this sandwich with a little chopped onion. There are also good store brands of vegan cream cheese like Tofutti’s one.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 6 October, 2013: Red Cabbage and Sweet Pepper Soba

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups cooked soba noodles, drained

1.5 cups sweet bell pepper, sliced

1.5 cups sliced red cabbage

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce or water

2 cloves minced garlic

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-cook soba noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large pan on medium-high heat, briefly sauté sweet bell pepper and cabbage. Make a well in the center and add the peanut butter, soy sauce or water, and garlic. Once the peanut butter starts to melt, about 30 seconds, stir it into a slurry with the soy sauce and minced garlic. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles and stir everything in the pan to combine. You probably will NOT need to add salt as soba noodles are salty to begin with.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 5 October, 2013: Stuffed Pepper with Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

1 large bell pepper, halved

3 cups potatoes, any color

1 tablespoon garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 cup almond milk

Vegan sour cream and baco bits, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Wash pepper, cut in half and remove stem and seeds. Roast pepper in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Peel and chunk potatoes. Boil potatoes until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain. Combine drained potatoes with garlic, green onion, and almond milk in a bowl and fork mash them until all the almond milk is incorporated. Salt to taste. Stuff the potato mash into the roasted pepper halves and top with vegan sour cream (I used thinned homemade cashew cream cheese) and baco bits.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 4 October, 2013: Salsa Beans and Spicy Potatoes

Potatoes are boiled, spiced, and then pan-fried.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil

4 cups potatoes of any color, cut into chunks

SEASONING MIX:

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the seasoning mix ingredients together.Boil the potato chunks in water for 7 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the potatoes. Combine seasoning mix ingredients and mix. Put potatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with seasoning mix, tossing until they are coated. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large fry pan on medium heat. Add potatoes once oil is hot. Fry them until they are browned. To make salsa beans, mix 1 part salsa with 2 parts beans. I used my own homemade blender salsa.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 3 October, 2013: Cashew Pine Nut Angel Hair Noodles

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cooked angel hair noodles

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup parsley, minced

2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 a lemon’s juice

DIRECTIONS:

Dry roast the cashews and pine nuts in the bottom of a large pan on medium heat. Watch them carefully and turn them as soon as they begin to brown and smell fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and let it sauté for 30 seconds. Add angel hair noodles, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil and toss them into the nuts, mixing thoroughly. Salt to taste.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 2 October, 2013: Black Bean Chipotle Chili

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon flour

1.5 cups salsa

4 cups cooked black or red beans (I used a mix of red kidney beans and black beans)

2 cups onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic

1 – 3 chipotle peppers from a can, minced, depending on how much heat you want

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon fennel

2 cloves

DIRECTIONS:

In a pan on medium high heat, fry the onion in 1 teaspoon of oil until translucent. Set aside. In the bottom of a large soup pot on medium-high heat, mix the oil with the flour, creating a paste. Stir, watching carefully. When oil and flour browns to a peanut butter color, douse with salsa. Add beans, garlic, brown sugar, and all spices. Heat through, about 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 1 October, 2013: Miso and Brown Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS FOR ONE BOWL OF SOUP:

1.5 cups water

2 teaspoons any color miso, I used white miso

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup brown rice

1 teaspoon kombu powder (kombu seaweed squares ground up in a coffee grinder or food processor)

1/4 cup minced pickled plums

Combine all ingredients and simmer in a small pot on medium heat until warmed through. Alternately, heat in the microwave for approximately 2 minutes. Stir until miso is dissolved.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 30 September, 2013: Yuba and Shiitake Spring Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

8 rice spring roll wrappers or banh trang

2 cups yuba, soaked and reconstituted

6 shiitake mushrooms or about 1 and 1/4 cups, soaked and reconstituted

1 julienned or shredded carrot (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 chopped green onions

2 teaspoons oil for frying

PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon chili sauce or 1 teaspoon Sriacha

2 teaspoons agave nectar or 1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar

pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

Make the dipping sauce by mixing together all peanut sauce ingredients and whisking with a fork until well blended. I cheated and microwaved the sauce for 30 seconds so I didn’t have to fork whip it as long. Set the sauce aside.

Soak and drain the mushrooms and yuba 15 minutes.  Drain them and chop off the mushroom stems.  Slice the mushrooms into small pieces and tear the yuba into bite sized chunks.   Heat the oil in a small pan on medium heat and add garlic to the oil, wait about 30 seconds.  Add the yuba and the mushroom along with the tablespoon of vinegar and soy sauce.  Cook the yuba and mushroom 1 more minute and then remove from heat and let it cool.

Chop and lay the veggies out on a cutting board or plate along with the cooled yuba and mushroom mixture.  Fill another plate shallowly with lukewarm water. Lay a spring roll round into the water. Once it absorbs a little water (about 15 seconds) flip it over and let it soak about 15 more seconds. Lay the softened spring roll paper on a cutting board and fill it with about 3/4 cup worth of various ingredients, do not overstuff. Roll it up burrito-style, tucking in the ends. Let it sit on the cutting board so it can seal while you make the other rolls.

Cut rolls in half to serve.