Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Anabell's Mango Delight



I won't take credit for this one, but I will take credit for its philadelphia debut.
Last year I visited Philadelphia, PA for the first time ... ever! Coming from Minneapolis to visit John and as a stop over during some adventuring, I was introduced to the Italian Market. John, being a newbie to the city himself, couldn't get enough of this place. Everyday he would come home with produce that he got for a buck here and a buck there. One day he came home with mint and mango. I just so happened to have had made my (and his) favorite dip that involves miso. With a fresh Sarcone's baguette he put together this sammy.....
-mango
-mint
-miso
-mayo (veganaise of coarse)

It was m-m-m-magical. I called it the "Mmmm good!"

Well, at Whole Foods on Callowhill in Philadelphia, my place of business, this very sandwich will be featured for the next couple of weeks!! (Jazzed up a bit, because, well, that's what I like to do... ) I proposed this vegan delight to the bosses and they gave it a go! Changing the name (why!?) you can pick up "Anabell's Mango Delight"... Or better yet, skip spending the $6.49 (!!!!) and make one yourself.

Check it out --

1. Mix some red miso in with veganaise.
2. Spread on bread of choice.
3. Slice up some mango, throw on some mint, and wha-bam.
Easy as 1.2. 3. For the jazzed version, add some asian slaw and spring mix :)
As always, Enjoy.

                ciabatta rolls meet miso mayo 



    mango sammies march two by two



almost.....



and they're in!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Tofu Quiche

Tofu scrambles are a thing of the past. I'm always so skeptical to order a tofu scramble, sometimes they can do it, and sometimes they can't. However, if anyplace had vegan tofu quiche on their menu, there would be no question or hesitation. I mean, this is just a good Tofu scramble jazzed up with a crust, really, that's it, and suddenly it's a million times more delicious (personally speaking... I think the fat may have something to do with it....). Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, it all works. Please, Enjoy!!
Tofu Quiche

For the Crust 
-2 cups flour
-1 1/3 cup earth balance
-2/3 cup water 
Preheat oven to 425. Mix all together in a small to medium size mixing bowl. I use a fork to cut the butter into the flour, but if you have a pastry knife the more power to you. Once it is all mixed up , line it in a pie pan (which I don't own) or a baking pan of your choice (I opted for the 8 x 6 glass ).  Set aside. 

For the Filling
-1 block tofu
-1/4 cup red onion, chopped
-1 small red pepper, chopped (ours came from our garden which is why it was a little tiny, but a reg. pepper would do just fine)
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-1 tbsp. olive/veggie oil or a milk substitute
-1/3 cup water
-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
-1 tsp. dried basil
-1 tsp. turmeric
-1/2 tsp. salt
Mix all together is the same bowl you mixed your crust in. You want to make sure you mash up the tofu pretty good. You're going for the look of a scramble here. When you think it's mixed well enough, pour into the unbaked crust and stick uncovered in the oven for about 15 minutes. You want the crust to be lightly browned around the edges. Let cool a few and serve with a side of hot sauce!! (if you're into hot sauce, which I am....)
  yum!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Treats, Glorious Treats



I had to bake a lot the other day. I'm not getting my hopes up, but I will say I gave a certain place a certain sample platter and we'll see what happens from there. Hopefully a certain someone's baked goods are going to be found at a certain cafe.... but that's all I'm saying. Here are a couple of the treats, glorious treats that made the cut. 
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Mousse`
For the Cake :
- 1 1/2 cup flour
-1 cup sugar
-3 tbsp. cocoa powder
-1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
-1 tbsp. distilled vinegar
-5 tbsp. earth balance
-1 cup cold water
Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda mix together using a fork or whisk. Stir in the vanilla, earth balance, vinegar and water. Mix well. Pour into lined muffin tins and bake for about 12-15 minutes, check with a toothpick. Let cool for about an hour before adding any toppings. 
For the Peanut Butter Mousse
-1 block firm tofu
-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
-1/4 cup Agave nectar
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-2 oz. dark chocolate (vegan) 
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy. Taste for sweetness, if more is desired, add more agave or sugar. 
Using a piping bag and star tip, circle mousse on cupcakes. Shred dark chocolate on top of mousse. 
Enjoy!!!

Classically Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies
-2 1/2 cups Flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. salt
-1 cup earth balance
-1 1/4 cup sugar
-1 tbsp. molasses
-2 tsp. vanilla
-half of a bag of vegan chocolate chips 
Easy as pie. Just mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients. Combine the two and then fold in the chocolate chips. I like big cookies so this recipe makes a dozen big cookies, I make a little ball in my hand (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball -- racquet ball size or a big bouncy ball...) and press it flat on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 8 - 10 minutes. Take them out and let them cool for a few on the cookie sheet before placing them on a plate or wire rack. **Make sure to have the milk beverage of your choice on hand. Or even the ice-cream of choice for an extra special treat.. the classic chipwich!! 

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Put some Pizzaz! on that Pizza!!

Pizza and beer. Music to my ears. Remember in elementary school (or when you're on a road trip or stuck somewhere with someone) the question of "If you were stranded on a dessert island and could only have one thing to eat and drink for the rest of your life....." My answer is and will always be... Pizza and Beer. But I have to say, fake mozzarella doesn't do justice, not a damn thing. No fake cheese does (except for my mom's - georgia's - homemade fake cheese that she makes for me :)... that woman is magical) or ever will compare to the real thing ... especially on pizza. So I ask you this... why? Why even try. Why not make a pizza so damn good and full of flavor you wouldn't even know cheese was a regular topping. That, is exactly what I did. Check it out my friends, on the menu tonight we have...

BBQ Blackened Tofu pizza and Thai Peanut Tofu Pizza. The BBQ one is a bit of an endeavor, but if you have the time, totally worth it. The Thai totally easy and totally fast, if you really wanna cut corners you could buy an already made crust, but I think making crust is the funnest (yes, you read it correctly) the funnest part!!

SOOOO amazing. I can't begin to explain how good these are, so please, just get in the kitchen crack a brew and find out for yourself. You will not regret it. Please, Enjoy!!

BBQ Blackened Tofu Pizz

Now, this pizza, like any pizza has a couple of different steps so I'm just going to lay them out for you right now. (It helps if you're making this with friends or family and each person can tackle of different job to have a meal truly full of love.)
Ok so there's the crust - now I have an amazing crust recipe that actually makes two 14 in. pizza's - SO that takes care of both pizza's.
Then there's the sauce and the tofu. First things first.

The Crust
I think any pizza crust recipe you find is basically the same: yeast, water, sugar, flour and salt. The key that I found to making a killer crust is the kneading. Like my roomy Riley says, "You need to knead". And it's true, you need to knead.. a lot. In Isa Chandra Moskowitz's book Vegan with a Vengeance, she has a couple of things to say about Pizza dough and I obeyed, and it worked. I will give you a condensed version, but like I said - knead!

Remember this makes 2, 14 in crusts.

-1 cup warm water
-1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
-1 package active dry yeast
-2 tbsp. olive oil , plus a tad
-3 cups all purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-cornmeal (which isn't necessary)

Place the warm water in a small bowl and dissolve the sugar. Add the yeast and mix well. Let sit for a couple of minutes, bubbles are good. Then mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Go back to your yeast mixture and add 2 tbsp. of the olive oil and pour into the dry mix and stir, pretty soon you will have a pile of almost ready dough. If the dough seems dry don't worry about it just yet, start the kneading and then make a decision whether you need to add more water. Sprinkle flour on the counter top and your hands and have at it. You want to knead for a good 10 minutes. If you dough is sticky just keep flouring your hands.... if its really sticky then add just a tad more flour, but remembering to knead first before making any final decisions about what your dough does and does not need. When the dough is nice and stretchy (stretch armstrong style) for it into a nice ball.  Throw a dash of oil into a bowl that's at least double the size of the dough ball and throw your dough bowl in it coating the outside with the oil. Cover it with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it sit for an hour. It should double in size. Give it a good punch, knead for another minute, let it sit for a minute and you can stretch it! Roll it with a pin, hang it and let gravity do the work, whatever you need to do to fit the pan you're using. Whew... onto part B!

The Sauce
A beautiful BBQ sauce recipe that I initially made for some seitan fingers this past weekend and had leftovers. So this recipe yields much more than you'll need for the pizza, so either cut it in half, or make it all and use for another delicious meal. 

-1 tbsp Earth Balance/veggie oil/ olive oil
-2, 15 oz cans crushed tomatoes
-small yellow onion, chopped
-4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/3 cup maple syrup
-dash of basil
-1 tbsp crushed red pepper
-dash of chili powder
- 1-2 tbsp cayenne (depending on your spice desire)

In a sauce pan saute the onion and garlic for a good bit in your chosen oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, cook on low for a while - (make this first, then do all the other fixings, tofu, what-not, you want it cooking for at least 30-40 minutes, the longer the better...)

Blackened Tofu
Is soo easy! I had no idea. The only thing you have to be wary of it pressing the tofu in advance, put it in the sink or a bowl with something heavy on it for a good hour +.

-1/2 lb. pressed extra firm tofu
-1 teaspoon of the following spices...
     -garlic powder
     -onion powder
     -basil (dried))
     -black pepper corn
     - oregano
     -red pepper flakes
     -cayenne
-1/4 cup flour
-1/4 cup Earth Balance - melted

Cut the tofu in half, then into 1/4 inch thick slices. Mix all the spices with the four into a bowl. Dip the tofu into the earth balance get it nice and coated then dip it in the four/spice mix and through it on a fry pan for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until it "blackens". Side aside on a plate.

and finally the Pizza!!

BBq Blackened Tofu Pizza
- 3/4 - 1 cup BBQ sauce
-1/2 lb. blackened tofu
-1/2 cup red onion, chopped
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-1 tbsp garlic, chopped
-juice from half of a lime

Have your crust ready and fit to your pan. Spread the BBQ all over, be generous! Evenly spread the onion and garlic. Break the tofu into little pieces and crumble evenly across za. Sprinkle cilantro and drizzle the lime. Bake at 500 for about 9 minutes (the crust will be golden brown.)



Thai Peanut Pizza


All right so this one is not nearly as complicated. You got your crust already ready to go, so all you're missing is the sauce and goodies. Lets get started. 

Thai Pizza Sauce
-1 cup Peanut Butter
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup water
-juice from 1 lime
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tbsp seasamee oil
-1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Blend everything together in a food processor or blender until its nice and creamy. Then go ahead and spread that on your crust.

Toppings...
-1/2 lb tofu
-1/4 cup earth balance
-1 tbsp garlic, chopped
-1 cup bean sprouts
-1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
-1 cup shredded carrots
-wasabi peanuts (or regular peanuts)
-juice of 1/2 lime

Saute the tofu with the earth balance and garlic for about 5 minutes on med - high heat. Spread over the sauce, covering entire pizza.

Sprinkle the basil, carrots, and half of the bean sprouts evenly. Bake about 9 - 10 minutes at 500 (or until crust is lightly browned). Garnish with the rest of the bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, and lime juice!! (drizzle a little hot sauce for an extra kick!)




Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Brownie Love

Sometimes I wake up and all I want for breakfast is something sweet to dip into my coffee.
This morning was one of those mornings.
Luckily, I had no problem-o whipping up something sweet thanks to How it all Vegan! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. In this gem they have an awesome recipe for Maple Walnut Brownies. Best part, the only sugar in them is maple syrup, talk about a perfect breakfast treat or what.
These are super fast and easy to make, however they don't yield that many (only 6!), so if you're looking for a mighty treat to share I would go ahead and double the recipe and bake in a cake pan. I only had olive oil so I went ahead and used that in place of a veggie oil, and they still turned out great. These brownies and nice and dense and moist.
Here's the 'pie .... Enjoy!

Maple Walnut Brownies

-1 1/3 cup flour
-1/3 cup cocoa powder
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 cup maple syrup
-1/4 cup aj or water (i use water just not to complicate things....)
-1/3 cup oil
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients (the wet stuff) and mix until "just mixed". Spoon into a lightly oiled 8x8 pan and bake for 5-30 minutes. Test with a knife. Makes 6 large brownies.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Creamy Summer Pesto Pasta.. Ahhhh

One thing that rings summer in my ear is cold pasta salads. I love them.
This one is especially good because 1 - it was made with love and 2 - this creamy pesto sauce that can be used as almost anything (dip, spread, pizza sauce, etc..). The recipe for the sauce yields about 3 cups. You'll only need about 1/2 - 1 cup (depending on how creamy you like it) for the pasta, so either cut the sauce recipe in half, or tupperware it up and save it for ... anything!! As always, Enjoy.

Creamy Pesto Sauce
- handful of basil
-1/2 cup of Veganaise
-juice from 1 lemon
-1 cup almonds
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-1/2 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup almond milk

Blend all ingredients in a food processor for a good amount of time.

Creamy Summer Pesto Pasta 
-4 cloves garlic
-1 tbsp. ginger
-1 tbsp. olive oil  
-1/2 lb. macaronni 
-1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes - chopped
-1/2 - 1 cup creamy pesto sauce
- dash of salt

Chop the garlic and the ginger. Saute in the olive oil for about 5 minutes on low heat. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, throw in the macaronni and cook for about 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally. When the macaronni is done, drain in a colander and rinse the noodles with cold water. Put back into large pot and mix in the creamy pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and salt to your liking. YUM!