shit we cooked

hibiscus lemonade

2011-03-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

The time Jesse and I came to Austin right before we moved here, the only thing I had to drink the entire time was some variation of hibiscus tea/lemonade. So refreshing! Jesse had gotten me a whole bag of hibiscus tea and today, I made some lemonade.

Ingredients:
2 tea balls filled
3 lemons
1/2 cup raw sugar
grenadine
tea kettle filled with water

I basically just brewed two tea balls instead of one so that the flavor would be more concentrated. After it steeped for about 20 minutes (we were making lunch at the same time) I poured it into my desired pitcher. I added half a cup (plus a little more;)) of raw sugar then I cut three lemons in half and juiced them into a little lemon-juicer-jar thing and poured that into the tea. After a positive taste test, I added a splash of grenadine and poured it over ice and voila! Perfect spring beverage.

Tomato and Basil Stuffed Seitan

2011-02-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

I'll get renee to post the recipe in a minute, but i just remembered I took a pic of the seitan for yall. taken on my phone in the dark so it looks weird but it tasted AWESOMEEEe

EDIT: OK YALL NAYNAY HERE. i found this recipe via supercook.com. it's this great site where you can make a list of all the food you already have on hand in your kitchen and then matches recipes from all over the world wide web. i highly recommend it.

So this was a really simple recipe where i was able to use the tomato and garlic we already had and thai basil leaves from the plant that whitney gave me a couple of years ago (yes, it's still alive!) I put way more basil than the recipe suggested and it STILL wasn't enough. next time i make it, i'm packin the things full of basil.

Posole Verde:

2011-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

**This is the one that Bradley and I were telling y'all about. It's so delicious and really easy, and it would be perfect soup for the last of this freezing cold weather. It's from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen.

Ingredients
1 bunch coarsely chopped fresh cilantro stems and leaves (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
6 ounces tomatillos, husked, washed, and halved
2 medium jalapeño chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 1/2 cups water (I think we used veggie stock here, because we had some extra)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 15-ounce cans white or yellow hominy, rinsed and drained
Salt

Garnishes (we skipped all but the last two)
1 medium head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced crosswise
2 small tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 medium radishes, thinly sliced
Lime wedges
Flour or corn tortillas, warmed

Instructions
1. Place the cilantro, oregano, tomatillos, chiles, and 1 cup of the water in a blender and puree, scraping down the sides of the jar as necessary, until smooth, about 1 minute.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cilantro mixture, hominy, remaining 1 1/2 cups water, and salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer to blend the flavors, about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt to taste.

3. Ladle the posole into bowls and serve immediately.

Seitan Recipe

2011-01-31T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is the one i was tellin yall about

2 cups vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
8 cups water
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 (4 inch) pieces dashi kombu (dried kelp)

NOTE: I usually add a quarter of a cup or so nutritional yeast, to make it a LITTLE firmer, but like i said, this stuff has the texture of veal, SO TENDER.

ALSO: instead of using 8 cups water, i use 7 cups water, 1 cup veggie stock, makes it a little more flavorful if thats even a word

ALSO ALSO: i put the cut up seitan in the water before it's done boiling because it makes it thicker and a little less rubbery

In a large glass bowl, mix together the vital wheat gluten, rosemary, thyme, sage, cumin seed, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, combine the water and tamari or soy sauce. Using a sturdy spoon and working very quickly, gradually pour liquid into gluten mixture. The gluten will develop very fast and become very rubbery and elastic. If there is any remaining dry mix, quickly add a small amount of water to soak it up. Working on a flat, clean countertop, knead the dough a few times then shape into a log about the diameter of your fist. Shaping the dough can be a little tricky as it is rubbery and resistant, but just be patient. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes while making stock.

In a large stock pot, boil 8 cups water with 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce, onion powder, and dashi kombu. Cut gluten log into desired shapes, maximum 1/2 inch thick. Individually drop the gluten pieces into boiling stock. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Seitan may now be breaded and fried, chopped up and used in salads, or seasoned in any way you like.

Polenta Honey Cornbread

2010-01-21T00:13:00.001-08:00

Earlier tonight I made some chili and wanted some cornbread to go with it.
Well I didn't have cornmeal but i did have Bob's Redmill Polenta, I didn't have eggs so had to substitute a little extra oil, and ran out of sugar and had to compensate with Really Raw Honey.

It was quite a pleasant surprise. The top was beautifully carmelized and it was sweet and delicious all over. If I made it again I would probably use more flour than polenta just so it's a little less crumbly and sticks together better.

OMG FISH TACOS

2009-07-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

i made these tonight for bradley and myself from a recipe that i found here, and let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS. i modified it a bit (we made it without peach and bell peppers, with a radicchio-veganaise-and-lime slaw and fresh pico de gallo instead; and i added roasted garlic and habañero peppers to the poblano cilantro sauce, and used toasted pine nuts instead of pistachios), but the end result was great.

i definitely recommend the poblano cilantro sauce -- it was easy, creamy, and so fresh, and we have enough left over to use as sandwich spread and salsa and who-knows-what-else for the rest of the week. yum.

breakfast tacos with tempeh

2009-04-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

this morning i decided to make some breakfast tacos to get the day going right. this is extremely easy and very delicious! first i heated some oil and pressed garlic on the stove. i added some tempeh and red onion and let the mix simmer until the tempeh reached a nice golden brown color. next i added egg right into the mix. since the other things were pretty hot by now the egg cooked very fast so make sure to stir pretty constantly. i seasoned with salt and pepper with a dash or two of tony chachere. once this was done i heated some corn tortillas in the microwave (if you cover them with a damp paper towl they get deliciously soft)! other taco ingredients included chopped romain lettuce, feta cheese, and valentina salsa picante. yummmmy!!

Vegan Avocado Ice Cream

2009-02-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

3 ripe avocados
2 – 3 T. lime juice (depending on the strength of the lime)
½ c. sugar
2 c. soy creamer (or any non-dairy milk)
1 c. soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
2 T. tequila (optional)

Place avocado flesh in a blender. Add the lime juice, sugar, and 2 cups soy creamer. Blend.
Pour into ice cream maker. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

Taken from this blog
http://veganicecream.blogspot.com/2006/11/avocado-ice-cream.html

lentil soup

2009-01-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

for the lentil soup i made last night, i modified a recipe i found here.

i basically doubled the recipe, but used less vegetable stock, omitted the spinach and red wine vinegar, and added cayenne pepper for spice.

chickpea pasta with almonds and parmesan

2009-01-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

this is a recipe that bradley and i adapted from one i found in real simple last january. we were a little skeptical about how it was going to turn out, but it was delicious -- a great mixture of flavors and textures. try it! it's easy!

ingredients:

1 package angel hair pasta (we used whole wheat)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (preferably goya)
3 or 4 handfuls sliced almonds (or desired amount)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
red pepper flakes
a handful of basil, chopped (you could also use parsley; whatever you have on-hand)
olive oil
salt and pepper
parmesan or pecorino romano, grated (optional)

instructions:

1. roast almonds in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring often (careful not to burn!)

2. boil water, prepare angel hair pasta according to box instructions until al dente

3. have about 1/4 cup of olive oil preheated in a large saucepan over medium/medium-low heat; as soon as the pasta goes in to the boiling water, add the garlic and red pepper flakes to infuse the oil (just takes a few minutes)

4. add chickpeas to oil and garlic mixture

5. drain pasta in a colander and return to the pot (now lightly oiled!)

6. add oil and garlic mixture to pasta pot

7. top with chopped basil, toasted almonds, fresh lemon juice, and cheese; salt and pepper to taste

p.s. this made four hefty servings. and tasted delicious leftover, too.

BK'S O.D. PIZZA!

2009-01-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

okay, so this is a pizza recipe i've prepared twice now, and it's really easy and delicious. the crust is the most important part of the pizza, in my opinion, and this recipe is great for both thicker and thinner crusts -- so whatever you prefer, this will cover it.

also, this is basically just Mario Batali's Pizza Margherita recipe from foodnetwork.com, so...

*** one thing to note is that the dough might take A LOT more flour once you're kneading it. just add the flour little by little until it's as described

Pizza Dough:

1 cup tepid water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Stir the water, oil, sugar, and salt in a liquid measuring cup until the sugar dissolves. Whisk the flour and yeast in a large bowl, make a well in the center and add the liquid mixture. With a wooden spoon or your hand, gradually stir the flour into the liquid to make a rough dough. Pull the dough together into a ball, (if there is a bit of flour left, don't fret).

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface dusted with flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, using more flour if necessary to keep from sticking. Divide into 4 equal portions, form into balls, and put on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Quick Marinara Sauce:

- Roma Tomatoes

- Garlic

- Basil

- E.V.O.O.

- Salt & Pepper

For this, anything goes. Just dice the tomatoes, garlic and basil roughly, and kinda mush/mix it up together. Season and oil it to taste.

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 400 degrees.

Assemble pizza however you like. I recommend fresh mozzarella and parmegiano regiano or pecorino romano.

Bake for 10-15, depending on thickness.

LOST Dinner Night

2009-01-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

"Fish" Sticks

"Fish" Mixture
1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (or you could just use boxed bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1/2 - 14oz Block Extra Firm Tofu (squeeze out excess water well and crumble up)
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Tablespoon Grated Celery (measured after water has been squeezed out, see directions)
1 Tablespoon Red Onion (measured after water has been squeezed out, see directions)
2/3 Cup Grated Potato (measured after water has been squeezed out, see directions)
1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Agave Nectar or 1&1/2 Teaspoons
1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
1 Egg Replacer (I used Ener-G brand)

Coating
1&1/2 Tablespoons Melted Vegan Butter for coating
1 cup Panko-style bread crumbs for crust

Place old fashioned oats into food processor or blender and pulse a few times to chop finer. Pour into mixing bowl.

Place the 3 slices of bread in food processor or blender and chop into bread crumbs. Measure out 1/4 cup and put into mixing bowl.

For the celery, red onion and potato take special care to squeeze out the juices with a strainer after they have been grated. The pulp can become quite wet and cause the patties to become too moist. After you have the juice out, then measure.

Into mixing bowl throw in; nutritional yeast, tofu, garlic salt, celery, red onion, dijon mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce, old bay seasoning, agave, potato, flour, salt, wheat germ and egg replacer and mash together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray cookie sheet and hands with cooking spray and measure out 5 - 1/3 cup portions. Lay them on cookie sheet and shape into squares about 3/4 inches thick. Brush top side with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Carefully turn over with a spatula and do the same on the other side. Place into oven and bake 15 minutes. Then flip and bake 15 more minutes. Let set for 5 minutes after out of the oven.

*adapted from this recipe

Vegan Tartar Sauce

1/2 - 14oz Block of Silken Tofu
1/2 Teaspoon Agave Nectar or 1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
2 Tablespoons Dill Relish

Place tofu, agave, onion powder, garlic powder, canola oil, salt and corn starch into blender and blend until smooth. Pour into small sauce pan and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring and mashing downward (to get rid of lumps) constantly with a rubber spatula on medium heat or until thickens. Mix in dill relish.

This can be served to your liking, warm or chilled in the fridge.

(I used the rest of the block of extra firm tofu from the fish stick recipe so it was thicker than it would have been had I used actual soft silken tofu)

*adapted from this recipe

Kimchi Stew, Bean Sprouts, Dumplings, Edamame

2009-01-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Stew-

1 Cup Kimchi
1 Cup Diced Tofu
1/2 cup onion
1/2 Cup Mushrooms
4 cups (maybe 3 next time) Veggie Broth
2 slices of ginger
6 tablespoons kimchi juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Drizzle of sesame oil

Bean Sprouts-

1/2 lb bean sprouts
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 pinch crushed red pepper

Sautee onions, Tofu and mushrooms for a minute. Put in veggie broth and ginger. let that boil, bring it down to a simmer. Stir in Kimchi and Kimchi juice, bring back to a boil, add flavor station (sesame oil, sugar, hot stuff), BAM!