Tempeh With Lemon Ginger Glaze - Everyday Vegan - p.252

Ingredients:

1 package of tempeh

½ c. lemon juice
¼ c. brown rice syrup
¼ c. veggie broth
2 TBL. Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
½ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1-2 TBL. oil [We used olive oil]
3 garlic cloves, miced
2 TBL. arrowroot
2 TBL. water

Procedure:
1) Steam tempeh for 10 minutes. Cool. Slice into strips or ¼ inch cubes.
2) Place lemon juice, brown rice syrup, veggie stock, Bragg’s, salt, lemon peel, and ginger in a small saucepan. Set aside.
3) Saute garlic and tempeh in oil until tempeh is golden brown.
4) Simmer sauce for 5 minutes. Dissolve arrowroot in water, then stir into the sauce until a thick glaze is achieved. Stir sauce into tempeh and serve immediately.

ET and I cooked a romantical, delicious vegan meal the other night to celebrate her return to the East Coast for the upcoming summer months. The final product of our cooking experimentation was a delicious vegan tempeh dish, topped with a citrus-flavored glaze plus "greens". Our greens were zucchinis, (courtesy of Mama and Papa T's kitchen - thank you!), sauteed in olive oil and a little garlic. I'm just thinking about how this is when a grill pan would have come into handy - grilled zucchini, yum! A grill pan, in red obviously, is quite possibly the next item to purchase on my growing kitchen wishlist... The other high-priority purchase is a funnel, haha.

We first steamed our tempeh for a total of 10 mintues, or approximately 5 minutes on each side.  The recipe says that after cooling, the tempeh should be cut into either strips or cubes...after considerable discussion of the pros and cons of each cut, ET and I ultimately agreed upon tempeh strips, haha.

Since we ran out of lemon juice (the one smallish/medium lemon yielded a little less than a quarter-cup) and lemon zest (the same lemon yielded about 1 tsp. of lemon zest), we needed to keep our cool and improvise. We substituted in fresh-squeezed orange juice and fresh-zested orange zest in place of the lemon juice and lemon zest. ET and I both agree that the substition was acceptable and the resulting citrus glaze was a success.

Thanks to ET and her food arrangement skills, which she had honed with a foodie friend out west, this photo is, by far, one of the nicest pics on the blog.

Drizzling Observation

My "drizzles" are always so goopy looking.  Usually I just pour the sauce directly out of the pan on top of the dish, hoping for an attractive looking-end result, but usually not getting one, ha.  In the future, for completely aesthetic purposes, I need to figure out a better technique for "drizzling"...  I am thinking of using a squeeze-bottle... Or maybe a piping bag...Hmmm...

Oriental Quinoa Pilaf - Everyday Vegan: 300 Recipes for Heathful Living By Jeani-Rose Atchison - p. 174

Ingredients:

2 c. veggie stock
2 TBL. Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tsp. grated orange peel
pinch red pepper flakes
2 TBL. oil [I used olive]
2-3 garlic cloves [I used 3]
1/2 onion, diced [I used a full, small yellow onion]
1 c. quinoa
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 c. green onions a.k.a. scallions
1/2 c. red bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped raisins [optional - I opted in]
3 TBL. cilantro

Procedure:

1) Combine veggie stock, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, orange peel, and pepper flakes.  Set aside.
2) Saute garlic and onion in oil.  Add in quinoa.
3) Pour in sauce.  Cover.  Simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
4) Add in sesame seeds, green onions, red pepper, raisins, and cilantro to quinoa.  Serve immediately.

Notes:

Quinoa! - the wonder grain!

This was my first time cooking with Bragg's Liquid Aminos.  I found this dish to be very salty - and I think the Bragg's may be the culprit.  Although the recipe says to serve this dish immediately, I thought it was better cold, the next day, after allowing the flavors to meld.  Also, the saltiness was less pronounced the second day as well.

Crepes with Almond Sauce and Fresh Raspberries - The Urban Vegan - p. 6

Ingredients:

Almond Sauce:
1/2 c. soy creamer
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 TBL. sugar
1 tsp. Earth Balance
1 tsp. cornstarch

Crepes:
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. plain soy milk [We used vanilla soy milk...REBELS!]
1/2 c. water
2 TBL. soy flour
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract [We used almond extract]
2 TBL. Earth Balance, melted
cooking spray
fresh raspberries [Why limit yourself to only raspberries?  MM and I used blackberries, blueberries, bananas, and strawberries - delicious!]
toasted slivered almonds, as garnish

Procedure:

Almond Sauce:
1) Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Turn down heat and cook until thickened, again whisking constantly.  Remove from heat.

Crepes:
1) Whisk flour, soy milk, water, soy flour, extract, and Earth Balance together in a medium bowl until no lumps remain.  Batter should be thin - add a bit more soy milk if necessary.
2) Heat pan over medium high and spray with cooking spray.  Pour about 2 TBL. of batter and immediately twist the pan in one direction so that a thin layer of batter evenly coats the pan.  Cook until the bottom is golden.  Set aside on a plate while you make the rest of the crepes.
3) Fold each crepe into quarters, drizzle almond sauce, top with berries, garnish with almonds and serve!

The almond flavor in both the crepes and sauce was delicious!  Fresh summer berries make me smile! Overall the recipe was a solid dish.

Granada Paella - The Urban Vegan By Dynise Balcavage - p. 78

After much muffin making, it was time to do some real cookin, Spanish-style! The above referenced recipe is from: The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine (Ch-ch-Check It Out!)

Ingredients:

2 TBL olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c. chopped red pepper
1 large vegan chorizo link (The author recommends, and I use, Trader Joe's brand)
2 c. Arborio rice
1/2 c. frozen peas
2 tomatoes, cubed
1 tsp. saffron
4-5 c. veggie stock
sea salt, to taste
lemon wedges for garnish

Procedure:

1) In a large pot (Finally making use of NMcL's new(ish) Le Creuset!), heat the oil over medium low heat and saute garlic.
2) Raise heat to medium and add the peppers.  Saute for 2. (minutes, duhh)
3) Add the crumbled chorizo.  Saute for 10.
4) Add the rice.  Stir well and cook for 1.
5) Add peas, tomatoes, saffron, and veggie stock.  Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cover pan.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed.  It should be slighlty wetter than risotto.
6) Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve hot!

The author suggests that in lieu of the chorizo, you can use 1) 1 c. white beans + 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes or 2) 1 c. chopped seitan.  Since, I am trying to reduce my intake of soy products, I would definitely consider trying out these protein-rich alternatives.  Though I would imagine I would need to add some additional spices, since I think that the vegan chorizo added a lot of the spiciness and flavor to the dish.  Also, to add complexity to the dish, the author suggests adding in 1 tsp. fennel seeds while adding the veggie stock.

So True...

“Learning to cook and developing your own style in the kitchen does not mean following recipes religiously. Cooking should be fun and creative” – Dynise Balcavage

Strawberry Bread - Edible Jersey Spring 2010 - p. 20

Picked up a copy of Edible Jersey while at DePiero's the other day.  The lady at the register suggested the above referenced recipe, so I went ahead and veganized it, which worked beautifully.

Ingredients:

2.25 c. sliced fresh strawberries
2 large eggs (I substituted ground flax seeds...please see: Post Punk Kitchen's Guide to Egg Replacement for the proportions)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. veggie oil (I substituted safflower oil, again, flawless substitution)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1.5 c. unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powpow
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (The recipe suggests almonds - in lieu of almonds, I used walnuts)

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a loaf pan and set it aside.  Place berries in a blender and puree.  Blend in egg replacer, sugar, oil, and vanilla.

2) In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients, save the nuts, and then fold into the wet mixture.  Next, fold in nuts then transfer to loaf pan.  Bake bread for 50-60 minutes.  Cool for about 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.  Serve! (As per my M.O., I went the muffin route and baked these bad boys for about 15-20 minutes at 400F.)

Conclusion:

These are phenomenal muffins.  Again, NMcL commented on how delicious the aroma in the apartment was.  The muffins were pretty incredible, not gunna lie, and tasted phenomenal with a little schmear of Better Than Cream Cheese.

Grammy Cooks Banana Bread - Online

ANOTHER muffin recipe?!  Here's a hilarious Muffins Video for your viewing pleasure.

Here is the Recipe for Grammy's Banana Bread.

Ingredients:

1.5 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBL. flax seed meal (ground in the blender)
2 TBL. corn meal
1/4 c. oil [I used canola]
1/2 c. cane juice crystal or sucanat or combination [I used 100 % sucanat]
1 c. mashed bananas [My two small, overripe bananas yielded a scant 1 c.]
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans, optional [I used walnuts]
[I also felt the urge to sprinkle in 2 tsp. cinnamon]
Procedure:

1) Mix first 6 ingredients well.
2) Mix next 4 ingredients well.
3) Mix both together and stir in nuts if you want.

Pour into sprayed loaf pan and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes. [Since I was short on time (hey, a girl has to find time for the gym!), I poured my batter into a lined muffin tin, and baked at 400F for 10-20 minutes instead.]
Conclusion:

Wow, the aroma of these muffins baking in the oven made the entire apartment smell bakery-fresh! These muffins were not too sweet and not overwhelmingly banana-flavored. They appeared and tasted “very healthy”.

From the glowing reviews that followed the recipe on vegweb, I expected a "5-star recipe" yield from this recipe.  I thought the muffins were ever-so-slightly dry and would have preferred a moister finished product.

Since the muffins were not too sweet, the addition of chocolate chips (in lieu of the walnuts) might be nice in the event I replicate the experimentation again.

Vegan Yum-Yum - Lemon Cranberry Muffins - p. 22

Ingredients

1/2 rounded cup dried cranberries in 1/2 c. water
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 TBL. cornstarch or arrowroot [I used cornstarch]
zest from 1 lemon
1 c. unsweetened almond milk [I substituted vanilla soy milk]
juice from 1 lemon [my lemon yielded just under 1/4 c. juice]
1/3 c. veggie oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract [I subbed vanilla extract]

What to do:

1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Place the cranberries and water in a small saucepan and heat until simmering.  Simmer for 3 minutes then remove from heat.
3) In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cornstarch, and lemon zest.
4) In a separate bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk, lemon juice, veggie oil, vanilla, and almond extracts.
5) Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until almost combined.  Drain the cranberries and fold into the batter, mixing until just combined.
6) Fill a lined muffin tin with batter, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.  Allow muffys to cool then serve.

More Vegan Chocolate Chips/ Chunks

365 Everyday Value Vegan Chocolate Chips

365 Everyday Value Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips