Kimberly Steele's Blog, page 12

Daily Vegan Lunch for 29 September, 2013: Apple and Red Cabbage Spring Rolls

These were outstanding.

INGREDIENTS:

8 rice spring roll skins a.k.a. bahn trang
1 apple, sliced
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1 cup sweet bell pepper, sliced (I used an orangey-yellow one)
2 green onions, minced, about 3/4 cup

Water

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.

Chop and lay the veggies out on a cutting board or plate. 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.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 28 September, 2013: Cajun Yuba

Yuba is bean curd skins, or the chewy skin from the top of the tofu vat in the tofu-making process. You could easily sub any form of veggie meat or veggie sausages instead of yuba if yuba is not available.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon flour

2 cups yuba (bean curd skins, available in most Asian grocery stores) soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained

1.5 cups chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced or about 2 teaspoons

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1.5 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped sweet bell pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon allspice

DIRECTIONS:

In the bottom of a large fry pan, combine oil and flour and raise heat to medium high. Put the onions on the side of the pan with an additional teaspoon of oil if desired. Stir the flour-oil mixture constantly and watch carefully. The flour-oil paste will brown into a chestnut/peanut butter color. Once it does, douse the resulting roux with crushed tomatoes, mixing in the onions. Add the drained yuba, celery, garlic, bell pepper, and spices. Stir until tomato sauce is heated through and add salt to taste.

Serve with rice.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 27 September, 2013: Brown Rice Soup with Peanuts

INGREDIENTS (PER BOWL)

1.5 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped pickled plums

1.5 cups vegetable bouillon (I used 1.5 cups water and 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon)

1 cup peanuts

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes on high heat. Alternately, combine all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn of the heat.

My Why Vegan? Speech from September 10′s Vegan Snacks and Food For the Road Potluck!

This is the first speech I have given since being forced to give speeches in junior high school at age 12!

I was thrilled to be able to speak out for animals to such a great crowd.  

I added Closed Captions for the hearing impaired!!

Daily Vegan Lunch for 26 September, 2013: Mediterranean Macaroni Bowl

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cooked macaroni (I used organic whole wheat macaroni)

2 teaspoons oil

1.5 cup onion, chopped

1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen spinach

1 small chopped tomato

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced

2 tablespoons pine nuts

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-cook macaroni according to package directions, set aside.

Thaw frozen spinach and peas in microwave by combining them in a microwave safe bowl and cooking them on high power for 2 minutes. Alternately, pre-thaw them on the counter top for about an hour or so.

In a large fry pan, fry onion in oil on medium heat until translucent. Add tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes and let it stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the chickpeas. Make a well in the center of the chickpea/tomato/onion mixture and spread the pine nuts in it. Allow the pine nuts to brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Douse the pine nuts with the thawed spinach and peas, stir until all ingredients are mixed.

Add the cooked macaroni to the pan and stir until macaroni is evenly distributed.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 25 September, 2013: Vegan Chickpea Toona Macaroni

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups cooked macaroni (I used organic whole wheat macaroni)

1 cup of cooked chickpeas, fork mashed

1/2 cup minced onion

1.5 cups celery, chopped

2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sugar or 1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 teaspoon kombu dashi (kombu seaweed squares ground up in a blender to a powder, you could also use substitute 1/2 a crumbled nori sheet)

1/2 a lemon’s juice

DIRECTIONS:

Mash the chickpeas with a fork or pulse them for 10 seconds in the food processor, set aside. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain, set aside. Combine macaroni, onion, and celery in a large bowl and stir. You could pre-cook the onion and celery but I decided not to. I think it tasted much better with them raw. Add the mashed chickpeas to the bowl. Add vegan mayo, sugar, and kombu. Sprinkle with lemon juice and stir well to incorporate all ingredients. Salt to taste.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 24 September, 2013: Tofu, Spinach, and Tomato Rice

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons oil

1/2 block extra firm tofu, sliced, patted dry, and then cubed

1 cup chopped onion

4 cups cooked brown rice (I used brown rice I cooked in the rice cooker and froze in advance)

2 cups pureed tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes from a can)

1.5 cups frozen corn kernels

1.5 cups frozen spinach

1 teaspoon jerk seasoning OR 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Fry tofu and onion in a large pan in oil on medium-high heat until tofu cubes are browned and onion is translucent.  Add rice to the pan and mix it gently to evenly distribute the tofu.  Add corn, spinach, and tomato puree/crushed tomatoes and heat until spinach and corn are thawed and heated through.  Finish by stirring in jerk seasoning and smoked paprika, salt to taste.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 23 September, 2013: Potato Broccoli Red Pepper Bisque

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons oil

1/2 onion (about 1 cup) chopped roughly

1 vegan broth cube

2 cups broccoli chunks

1.5 cups roasted red bell pepper (I used ones I roasted in the oven myself for 30 minutes at 375 degrees)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1.5 cups pre-cooked potato

5 cups water

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In the bottom of a large soup pot, fry the onion on medium high heat until it is translucent. Pre-cook potato if needed, about 1 medium-sized potato will yield 1.5 cups of potato mash, or just use 3/4 cup potato flakes and 3/4 cup additional water.

Add water and all other ingredients to the pot. Turn heat to high and bring it to a boil, stirring to incorporate nutritional yeast. After it boils, turn heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste test the broth to see if it needs salt.

Transfer soup to a blender (in batches if necessary) and puree until liquified.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 22 September, 2013: Tofu, Kale, and Red Bell Peppers

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons oil for frying

1/2 block of extra-firm tofu

4 cups kale (any kind, I used curly kale)

1 red bell pepper, roasted and sliced (I roasted mine in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees with no oil but you can just buy them roasted in a jar too)

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

2 Tablespoons Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce or vegan Worchestershire (I used black bean sauce) or salt to taste

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons sugar or 1 teaspoon agave nectar

2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl, set aside.

Slice the tofu into 3/4 inch slices. Pat the tofu slices dry with a clean towel or paper towels, this avoids oil spattering when it contacts the water in the tofu. In a pan on high heat, heat the oil until nearly smoking. Fry the tofu for 1 minute each side or until nicely browned.

Turn the heat down to medium-high.

Add the kale and sauté until the kale wilts, mixing it gently with the tofu. Add the peppers and immediately add the sauce. Stir until sauce is thickened. Serve with rice.

Daily Vegan Lunch for 22 September, 2013: Loaded Baked Potato Skins

INGREDIENTS:

6 medium-sized Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (russets require longer cooking time)

1 recipe Best Ever Cheez

1.5 cups chopped green onion or chives

Liberal sprinkles of vegan baco-bits

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and prick potatoes with a fork several times (to avoid exploding potatoes) and bake potatoes for 30 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees. Alternately, prick the potatoes and microwave them for 3 – 5 minutes per potato depending on the potato’s size.

Allow the potatoes to cool and make the cheez sauce.

Once potatoes are cool, cut them in half and carefully scoop out the insides of the potato, leaving about 3/4 inch of potato and the skin. Save the inside potato mash for later use. I put mine in soup. Broil the potato skins at 400 degrees for 5 minutes on each side, scooped hollow side and normal skin side.

Fill each potato with a heaping tablespoon or so of cheez sauce. Sprinkle with chives or green onion and baco-bits.