Too Easy Vegan Pasta Alfredo!

This dish was inspired by a post from my friend Cinnamon, it's healthy, quick and easy and can be done with any pasta type. I like to prep food on the weekend such as pasta, baked potatoes, salsa, baked corn on the cob, chopped fruits and veggies and various cooked beans. So with that prepped spaghetti in mind, I whipped up the sauce, reheated my al dente spaghetti noodles and had a delicious meal in a few moments. Serves two.

Vegan Pasta Alfredo Sauce

2 medium Haas avocados
fresh basil to taste, a few leaves (for me, a fistful might be a better description)
2 cloves of garlic
2 heaping tbs of nutritional yeast
1 heaping tbs of Trader Joe's Green Olive Tapenade or 3 to 4 of your favorite olives
juice from 1/2 a medium sized lime
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
garnish with chopped tomato

The more basil you use the more this tastes like pesto, but that's good too. Throw everything (except tomato) in a mixing cup or bowl and have at it with a hand blender or whatever blender works for you. Blend to a smooth consistency.
Toss sauce into warm pasta. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and serve.
I've made this a few times now and I have used lemon instead of lime. They're both good and the difference is subtle. This last batch I added two tbs of vegan smoked cashew cheese, all I can say is:  WOW! THAT was a yummy twist on the recipe.

Quick and Delicious Vegan Fried Rice

So now you've got a rice cooker and you've already ate it twice. Boring! So take that leftover rice and veggies and make a new dish. The fried rice I've made is a little different than most.  I've borrowed from three Asian cultures to make this and everyone I serve it to loves it. In this case I had about 3 1/2 cups of leftover Japanese style sticky brown rice. The veggies I used were just some frozen medley of corn, carrots, peas and green beans.  This can be a meal or an awesome side dish. Now let's get down to it.

Vegan Fried Rice

3 - 4 cups of leftover rice ( any kind will do )
1 1/2 cups frozen vegetable medley
2 tbs virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil ( I like the richer flavor of the toasted )
2 tbs powdered garlic ( saute fresh garlic and onions if you want, this is the quick version )
1 tbs Tamari soy sauce
1 tbs Magi Sauce
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
a couple of lime wedges

Add oils to a large skillet and heat to about 325° ( medium on a gas stove )
Add rice, leftover or frozen veggies ( don't worry they'll cook ), garlic powder and peanuts and stir until rice is fluffy and separated and the veggies are done.
Add Tamari and Magi sauce and stir, stir, stir for another two minutes
The rice should have a nice savory flavor, add more Magi sauce as necessary
Serve and garnish with a lime wedge, squeeze a little lime juice on your fried rice, it compliments the salty taste and give it a citrus note that makes this a household favorite.

Tamari soy sauce is a richer, more savory type of soy sauce and not as piquant as say Kikkoman.
Magi Sauce is a fermented wheat sauce similar to soy sauce but to me more flavorful as opposed to the saltier Kikkoman flavor. You should keep both handy as an alternative to regular soy sauce.

Miang Kham, Yummy Vegan Thai Lettuce Wraps

This is an easy Thai dish that you won't usually find at a Thai restaurant. It's very satisfying as a meal or an appetizer. It's complex combination of sweet, spicy, salty, nutty and citrus make every bite a flavor explosion. The actual recipe calls for betel leaves but I've never had it served that way. In my case I'm using green leaf lettuce but you can use whatever type of leaf wrap you prefer such as red leaf lettuce or Chinese broccoli leaf. I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of one rolled up but we were eating them as fast as we made them so I guess I'm lucky I got this picture at all.

Miang Kham

10-12 green leaf lettuce leaves, washed and pat dried
3/4 cup of toasted shredded coconut ( keep on eye on the coconut while browning, it burns easily )
1/2 cup of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup of jalapeño pepper, chopped and seeded
1/2 cup of diced red onion
1/2 cup of roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup of lime, chopped with peel ( yes you are going to eat the peel )
1/2 cup of dried shrimp ( like those little pink ones, only dried ) if your vegan, use salted peanuts instead
1/2 cup of Katsu sauce, mixed with 2 tbs of agave syrup or brown sugar ( should be sweet with a little tang to it )
Katsu sauce is an apple and tomato based sauce generally used on Japanese breaded pork cutlets. Mixed with sugar, the taste is indistinguishable from Miang Kham sauce and it's easy to obtain from most markets.

 There's no set rule on the balance or amount, so just place a little of each ingredient on the leaf, top with sauce, roll it up and go to lettuce wrap heaven!

Vegan Lamb Curry

 

This is one of those tasty dishes that I like to feed to people and then tell them they're not eating meat! Sneaky… definitely. The Vegan Lamb has a spicing that reminds me of Moroccan food and works well in Mediterranean and Asian style dishes. VegeUSA has many great meat substitutes. Are they all winners? No way! But the ones I talk about here can pass the carnivore muster. I buy the bulk stuff at their Monrovia, CA store, but Whole Foods carries a few items in the freezer section. The Citrus Sparerib Cutlets are a good one. But I recommend you call their store to find out where to get the bulk items, it will save you a little money in the end.
Serve with a small green salad and a side of rice. Try a fragrant Jasmine rice, we use Three Ladies Brand from the local Thai market or Calrose Shirakiku, a sticky Japanese rice available at most Asian stores.
If you don't have a rice cooker you should really invest in one. It's a great time saver and it really helps to have cooked rice handy to go with any dish you might whip up.

Lamb Curry

12 pieces frozen Vegan Lamb Chunk cut in half ( from VegeUSA ) http://www.vegeusa.com/
1 jar Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce ( feel free to make your own, but try the T.J.'s it's tasty, quick and easy )
2 cups vegetable broth ( Better Than Bouillon Vegetable )
1 whole onion
1 whole diced tomato
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
sea salt
crushed black pepper
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (optional)

Saute chopped garlic, tomato and sliced onions until onion is translucent
Add broth and curry sauce
Bring to boil
Add frozen vegan lamb
Add salt, pepper and chili sauce to taste
Bring to boil then simmer, about two minutes should do it. Remember this a vegan meat, so no need to cook very long,
Top pot with chopped cilantro when done or top the serving
Tip: the easiest way to chop cilantro is to make a ball in your fist and chop the ball on a cutting board to your desired size. Enjoy!

Vegan Sloppy Joe's and Devil's Tater Salad

Ahhh! Comfort food... Just get the potatoes boiling and start the Sloppy Joe's and before you know it you've got a very satisfying meal.

Sloppy Joe's

8 oz of Upton's ground seitan
8 oz chopped mushroom (or if you like use 16 oz of seitan and skip the shrooms)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 chopped jalapeno (seeds removed, or not)
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup and
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (use your favorite)
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
2 tbs oil
Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper until onion is translucent.
Add mushrooms and Upton's Ground Seitan cook until lightly brown
Add the mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire and brown sugar; mix thoroughly
Reduce heat, and simmer until mushrooms are done (two to three minutes)
Season with salt and pepper
Serve on toasted bun (optional: butter that bun with Earth Balance Whipped Spread)
http://www.uptonsnaturals.com/where-to-buy/

Devil's Tater Salad

3 med russet potatoes peeled and diced to 1" cubes
1/2 cup of miso mayo ( http://www.misomayo.com/ ) or your favorite vegan mayo
tsp yellow mustard
tsp garlic power (not garlic salt)
tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbs sriracha chile sauce
salt and pepper to taste



Drop the potatoes into boiling water, they'll cook pretty quick so keep an eye on them
Once the taters are done, drain and cool on a large plate
While the taters are cooling, mix all ingredients in a large bowl then put the cool taters into the mix and stir
Nice!

Sunday Breakfast! Tofu Scramble with Vegan Sausage and Dolly's Home Fries

This is a tasty meal that I have fed to family and friends who didn't know they were not eating eggs and meat! If you're transitioning to a plant based diet it's these great tasting substitutes that will keep you on track. The tofu scramble is based on a Filipino style scramble that my better half made before we went on a plant based diet.

Tofu and Vegg is a great substitute for scrambled eggs and we eat it on most weekends, with potatoes and Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage.
Vegg is a nutritional yeast that comes in a powder form and when blended with water has the flavor, consistency and color of yolk. I use 1 1/2 tablespoons per 1/4 cup of water and season with salt. I always make a full cup at a time because Vegg has to be blended with an electric blender and mixing a small amount is difficult. Refrigerate the remainder.
Field Roast makes an array of grain based meat substitutes that include sausages, franks, meat loaf and cold cuts. I don't like all of them personally, but I have a few favorites that I'll use in future postings.
I want to mention that I get nothing from any manufacturer of the products I mention by brand name. I'm only trying to get the word out on products I like, because... there are some really awful tasting meat and cheese substitutes, that said, they are probably keeping some people away eating healthy.

Tofu Scramble Recipe:
makes about 4 servings

12 oz of your favorite firm tofu
1/2 cup blended Vegg ( http://www.thevegg.com/retail.html )
1/2 large onion sliced thin (Hawaiian sweet onions are great with this)
1/2 large chopped tomato
2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
1-2 tbs of olive oil
coarse ground pepper and sea salt to taste
hot sauce or ketchup optional

In a medium skillet over medium heat start sauteing onion, garlic and tomato
crumble drained tofu into into skillet and mix ingredients
add Vegg and continue mixing
season with salt and pepper
Now at this point you can lower the temperature and let the scramble simmer until the water cooks off the tofu to give you the right consistency or you can use a higher heat, but you should attend and stir often. The cooking time will be at least 10 minutes. If it's too watery cook a little longer, just don't burn it.
Once you learn to work with tofu there are so many things you can do with it!

Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage
(available at most health food stores)
http://www.fieldroast.com/where-to-buy/

Quick fry the split sausage on both sides with a little oil. It gives it a nice crispy outside and a moist texture inside. Remember you're not cooking the sausage! You just want to heat them up.

Dolly's Home Fries

4 medium peeled russet potatoes about 1" cubed
1 tsp dill
1 tbs Pappy's seasoning (available at Smart and Final and Amazon)
1/4 cup of olive oil (Star Extra Virgin is good, it has a high heat point and doesn't impart an olive taste)

In a bowl, toss and season the potatoes evenly with the Pappy's and dill
heat oil in large skillet
add potatoes
The secret to these delicious potatoes (besides the Pappy's) is:
1. Use a large skillet, it keeps the potatoes from getting mushy in their own moisture
2. Resist the urge to flip them, let them get nice and toasty brown, then flip and brown the other side

Any leftovers make a great breakfast burrito the next day! Sriracha hot sauce optional.

Soup of Day! Vegan Mushroom Miso Soon Dubu Chigae

Soondubu Chigae ( Korean Tofu Soup )

순두부 찌개

This is a quick and easy vegan take on Soondubu Chigae. Very hearty and satisfying on these cold winter days. You can accompany it with rice, I use Calrose Shirakiku, it is the same type of rice you would get at a Korean or Japanese restaurant, sticky with a nice fragrance. There are other accompaniments that compliment this as well, but that's another day. Enjoy!

Recipe:
5 cups water
1/2 large onion thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 cup miso soybean paste (no msg if you can)
1 heaping tbs vegetable bouillon (I use "Better Than Bouillon" Vegetable)
1 green onion julienned
2 cups sliced mushrooms (use you favorite)
2 tbs sriracha sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
12 oz tofu cubed
2 tbs olive oil

In a sauce pan, saute onion and garlic in olive and sesame oil until onion is translucent
add 5 cups water, miso and bouillon
bring to boil
add mushrooms and tofu boil two minutes
add green onion and sriracha stir and serve

Sriracha is a delicious spicy chile sauce, if you don't like spicy heat, just use a little.