Monday, December 31, 2012

Mix it in a mincer and pretend it's beef...

Easy meaty pasta sauce made with bulgur wheat.  This whole grain power house is not just for hippies anymore.  Satisfying meal ready in 20 minutes.  Bulgur was suggested as a meaty substitute by a friend when I was making chili last summer, so I bought some and figured it was time I finally used it.


Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions.  Sauce makes about 2 servings.

In a saucepan, add 2 TBS bulgar to 1 cup veggie broth, 1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds, and 1/2 tsp liquid smoke.  Bring to a boil.  Add 1 small 8oz can tomato sauce and let simmer 15 minutes until thickened.  Add cooked pasta and let sit a few minutes to absorb the sauce.

Top with equal parts pine nuts and nutritional yeast with a dash of salt blended together for a quick vegan parmesan topping.    

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Urban Vegan's General Tso's Soy Curls

I've had some soy curls lingering in the pantry and I hadn't tried them out yet.  

Urban Vegan posted General Tso's Soy Curls and it became the perfect time to try it out.  The sauce is sweet, spicy, and salty and the soy curls add just the right amount of meaty bite.  I'll be making this again!   



I recently discovered a great way to make to go cups out of mason jars.  Cuppow!  The lid screws on with the regular mason jar rings.  These lids are also fantastic for  delivering a sprinkle of sesame seeds.  I mixed the tan and black ones together.


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Instant Mac & Cheese with Stewed Tomatoes

Stewed tomatoes and Mac & Cheese.  A Delaware classic popular in school cafeterias in the 80s.  What's not to love?


No measure instant mac & cheese 

Boiling water
Salt
Elbow macaroni ( I used 3 handfuls - made 2 servings)

Non-dairy butter
Non-dairy milk
Nutritional Yeast
Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder

1 Can Stewed Tomatoes

Cook macaroni and heat tomatoes.

Dran macaroni and return to pan. Add spoonful of butter and big splash of milk.  Add a few spoonfuls of nutritional yeast, a dash of salt, a shake of onion powder, and a sprinkling of garlic powder and stir.

Serve with stewed tomatoes and enjoy!

My friend Carey adds a lot more sugar to the stewed tomatoes, but they're OK right out of the can, too.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Du pain, du vin, et du Boursin

Vegan Boursin that is.


Miyoko Schinner's Artisan Vegan Cheese is an interesting new challenge for making vegan cheeses at home.  Most of the basic types are derrived from a cashew cheese which includes rejuvelac.  Rejuvelac is produced by soaking sprouted grains in water for a few days.  The result is a sourish liquid that can be used as a cheese starter.

My husband accidentally took a sip from a mason jar in the fridge thinking it was lemonade and was not pleased.  However, I like a good fermented drink, so it's weird, but in a good way like Kombucha.  Apparently it's good for you on it's own.  Probiotics and stuff.

I'm not going to repost the recipe, but if you want to test it out, the rejuvelac, cashew cheese, and boursin are included in the book preview on Amazon.

It's pretty true to form.  Nice consistency and good flavor balance.  Enjoy with some crusty French bread and your favorite wine.  Perfect for a Les Miserables party.  Tastes like France.