my new found appreciation for avocados

After my half-marathon I wanted something delicious to celebrate with. As I mentioned in my last post, I recently found out that I no longer have a food intolerance to avocado – hurrah! And so guacamole, chips, and Mexican beer sounded like the perfect way to kick back and relax.

I haven’t eaten much guacamole, due to being made ill by it, so I wasn’t sure which recipe to use. I thought of the recipe in Vegan Brunch, but alas, my cookbooks are now packed and I didn’t feel like digging through boxes to find it. So I went to Allrecipes.com and searched for the highest rated guacamole recipe. To go along with the guacamole, I picked up a bag of baked tortilla chips.

Guiltless Gourmet makes a few different flavours of baked chips. Not all of them are vegan, so make sure to check the ingredients. The blue corn (pictured above) definitely are. Are they as good as fried chips? No. But I like knowing that they are healthier for me and besides, once you dip them in guacamole or salsa or turn them into nachos, you really can’t notice that much of a difference in taste. The texture is a bit different though. Not necessarily in a bad way, but different.

I thought the guacamole was delicious. My husband (who has had guacamole far more often than I) said it was great, but the tomato should be omitted because “real guacamole doesn’t have tomato.” I have no idea about that. Anyhoo, here is the recipe as I made it:

Guacamole (adapted from Allrecipes.com)
-2 large avocados, peeled and pitted
-1/2 lime, juice
-1/2 cup diced red onion
-1 roma tomato, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp cayenne (decrease this if you don’t like spicy…we both love spicy food)

Mash together the avocados and lime juice. Mix in onion, tomato, garlic, and cayenne. Tastes best if it sits in the fridge for awhile.

vegan mofo: simple and quick tostada

So here is another thing I like to make for dinner when I have zero time: refried bean tostadas! It’s pretty simple…I spray a corn tortilla (there is usually a package in my freezer) with cooking spray and heat it up each side over medium heat in a skillet. When that’s done I spread it with some refried beans (usually out of a can) and then top with whatever veggies I have on hand. This week it was red bell pepper, onion, and romaine. Oh, and usually I like to douse it with salsa and hot sauce too. And there you have it, a delicious dinner ready in about 15 min.

vegan mofo: chocolate mousse torte!

This is what I made for dessert for Thanksgiving last weekend….a chocolate mousse torte. You know how every cafe/bakery/restaurant has a dessert that they call “death by chocolate?” This is that dessert. So chocolatey. So decadent. So rich.

Chocolate Mousse Torte

Brownie Crust:
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
2 tbsp water
2 tsp ground flax
1/2 c. water
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Mousse Filling:
1/2 c. soy milk
9 oz. vegan chocolate chips
12 oz. extra-firm silken tofu
1/4 c. coffee
1/4 tsp vanilla

Ganache Topping:
8 oz. vegan chocolate chips
1 c. soy milk

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 11″ springform pan. Mix together sugar, oil, and 2 tbsp water. In separate bowl, mix flax and 1/2 c. water. Add to oil mixture along with vanilla. In a third bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add to oil mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into pan and bake 26 min. (or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean). Cool completely.

Mousse:
Bring soy milk to gentle simmer. Remove from heat. Melt chocolate chips in double boiler. Remove from heat. Combine chocolate, soy milk, and tofu in food processor. Process until smooth. Add coffee and vanilla. Process some more. Spread filling evenly over brownie crust.

Topping:
Bring soy milk to gentle simmer. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Mix until smooth. Spread this evenly over mousse.

Chill for at least 2 hours.

uninspired and tales of woe…and a cool license plate

I’ve just been uninspired in the kitchen lately. I’ve been busy with school, wedding planning, and some other things that keep one busy. I just haven’t been in the mood to cook and when I do it’s usually something quite basic that isn’t really blog-worthy. The one thing that I’ve been eating about once a day for a couple of weeks now is a salad with grilled tofu and a spicy peanut dressing. First up I grill some tofu on my handy dandy George Foreman that I received at my shower. I put that on top of a plate of mixed salad greens. Then I whip up a yummy dressing. For one giant salad I use:

• 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. miso
• 1/2 tsp. sriracha (adjust to suit your tastes)
• enough water to achieve desired consistency

I mix these ingredients up in a little dish and then pour over my salad. It’s a quick way to make sure I’m eating healthy.

In other news, we have been experiencing insane weather this month. Observe: Here we have last Thursday – below freezing, snow/rain, absolutely miserable:

Here we are 24 hours later – 68 F, sunny, lots of green:

On an unrelated note, how is this for an awesome license plate? It’s not mine, I was just driving home and happened to be behind this vehicle. It says ‘GARLIC’:

TVP Meatloaf

In my pregan days I loved regular meatloaf. I even requested it for my 14th birthday dinner. Seriously, what 14 year old requests meatloaf for her birthday dinner?! Come to think of it, that was my last non-veg birthday, but I digress. So clearly I have a love for meatloaf. I found this recipe for TVP meatloaf about a year ago. I instantly fell in love with it. I’ve been tinkering around with it and each time I make it a bit differently.

Here’s my most recent version, served with roasted green beans, roasted brussel sprouts, and a salad:

TVP Meatloaf: (adapated from here)
-2 c. water
-1/2 c. ketchup
-2 tbsp. tamari
-2 c. unconstituted TVP
-1/2 c. oats
-1/4 c. ground flax
-1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
-3 tsp. garlic powder
-2 tsp. onion powder
-1/3 c. bbq sauce (whichever one is your favourite)

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix water, ketchup, and tamari. Add TVP and let sit 10 minutes.
3. Add in oats, flax, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix.
4. On a cooking sheet, form the mixture into a loaf. Trust me, this ends up with a nice outer crust that you don’t get with a loaf pan. Bake 30 minutes.
5. Spread bbq sauce over top. Return to oven for 10 minutes.
6. If desired, broil for 3-5 minutes to crisp up top.

Serves 4.

If you were to use the exact ingredients I did, it would come in at 374 calories, 5.2 g fat, 47.8 g carbohydrates, and 33.9 g protein per serving.

Food Network Friday: Musard Marinated “Pork Chops” with Caramelized Red Onions

It’s been a couple of weeks but today I found myself with time to participate in Tami’s Food Network Friday. This week I chose a Dave Lieberman recipe – mustard marinated pork chops with caramelized red onions. I love mustard and I love onions…so I figured this recipe would be right up my alley.

Last time I participated in Food Network Friday I made Guy Fieri’s Cuban pork chops using Bryanna Clark Grogan’s recipe for pork cutlets. I had some extra cutlets in my freezer and decided to use them up. These were just okay. I had no complaints about eating them, but I probably wouldn’t make them again. Maybe I’m just not a fan of the “pork” flavoured broth that these cutlets were originally cooked in. I liked the marinade and would probably use that again on tofu, I think it would be yummy. Excuse the crummy photo.

Mustard Marinated “Pork Chops” with Caramelized Red Onions: (Adapted from Dave Lieberman)

• 2 of Bryanna Clark Grogan’s pork cutlets (I used recipe in Nonna’s Italian Kitchen, the recipe has been posted online here)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

For the onions:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 large red onion, sliced
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. agave nectar
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss the cutlets with the olive oil, dijon, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic powder. Marinate in the fridge 1 hour up to overnight.

2. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in skillet over medium ehat. Add onion and cook for 5 min. or so. Drizzle with balsamic and agave. Continue to cook until onions are caramelized (this should take 15 min. or so).

3. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat. Add “chops” and brown on each side. To serve: Top chops with onions. I served mine on a bed of baby spinach but do as you will.

Lentil Enchiladas

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this recipe for lentil tacos. Finally I decided to try it for myself. However I couldn’t find baked taco shells in this city and I wasn’t really feeling the burrito vibe. Aha, why not make enchiladas?

These were super tasty and omni bf approved. And pretty cheap to make. It makes a ton of filling, but that’s delicious as leftovers.

Here is my version of the recipe, which is quite spicy and has an added chipotle so adjust to suit your tastes.

Chipotle Lentil Enchiladas:
-1 can enchilada sauce (I use store bought because it’s cheaper, but if you wish to make your own go right ahead)
-6 corn tortillas (or use a bigger casserole dish and more tortillas to use up all of the lentil filling)

Filling:
-1 c. diced white onion
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 cup dry lentils (I used brown)
-1 tbsp. chili powder
-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to your own tastes)
-2 tsp. cumin
-1 tsp. oregano
-1 canned chipotle pepper minced
-2 tsp. adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)
-2 1/2 c. veggie broth
-1 c. salsa

You will also need to make your favourite nutritional yeast cheeze sauce, or use my fat free version, which is a variation of Bryanna Clark Grogan’s:
-1/4 c. nutritional yeast
-1/4 c. flour
-1 c. water
-1 tsp. salt (obviously omit this if you are avoiding salt)
-1/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
-3 tsp. prepared yellow mustard

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in a bit of water of veggie broth. Add lentils, spices, chipotle, and adobo. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Add veggie broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Toward the end of the 30 minutes make your cheeze sauce. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it bubbles and thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings as you see fit.

3. When your lentils are cooked, pour in 1 cup salsa and half of the cheeze sauce. Stir.

4. Prepare a casserole dish. Spread some enchilada sauce on the bottom. Take a corn tortilla, spoon in filling, then roll. Make sure it sits seam down in casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

5. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and then top with remaining cheeze sauce. Bake 25 min.

I served mine on a bed of arugula with a salad on the side in order to get my greens in.

More food from Get it Ripe

I was on a Get it Ripe kick for awhile. I’m pretty much over that now as once again I am deep in the madness that is the end of the semester while still collecting data for my dissertation. Anyway, I wanted to share the last few things that I made.

Here is the alfredo. I must say that I was not a fan. I had to doctor this up quite a bit. I thickened it with cornstarch as it was way too runny. It also was very tasteless, so I remedied that with nutritional yeast, loads of black pepper, and some different herbs. All in all I wouldn’t make this version again, as there are already lots of great vegan alfredo recipes out there. I served this on spaghetti noodles made of quinoa.

Next to the alfredo are brussel sprouts baked with dijon mustard which I loved! They were super easy to make, too. I might play around with the recipe a bit in the future.

Dijon Brussel Sprouts

• 1 lb. brussel sprouts, ends trimmed (I slice the overly big ones in half)
• 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Lightly spray brussel sprouts. Toss brussel sprouts with dijon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake 10 min. Toss brussel sprouts. Bake anothe 10 minues, or until brussel sprouts reach desired tenderness.

Another thing I made from Get it Ripe was the lentil dahl. I really enjoyed the seasonings in this dish and I think I may combine it with my usual dahl recipe, as I prefer the texture of that one. I think the two combined would be great and I’ll have to play around with that in the future. I served it on a bed of baby spianch like Jae Steele (the author) suggested. I was skeptical at first, but it was actually really good! I omitted the oil to make this Eat to Live compliant.

Portuguese Kale Soup…vegan style

A friend at a cooking forum mentioned that she was making Portuguese kale soup. Being a kale lover, I was intrigued and asked for the recipe. The original had sausage (linguica or chorizo), so I made a batch of this vegan style (and fat free!) and it was fabulous.

Portuguese Kale Soup

• 1 large white onion, diced
• 5 of Julie Hasson’s sausages (I omit the olive oil from mine and they’re fine…I also tend to make mine spicier…whatever floats your boat)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 gallon water
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 cup potatoes, diced large
• 1/2 lb. kale, chopped roughly
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to suit your desired level of spiciness)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute onion in water (or veggie broth) for 5 min. Add garlic and sausage and potatoes and continue to saute another 5 min. Add 1/2 gallon water (I don’t like my soups very watery, add more if you prefer). Add in kale, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Simmer approximately 2 hours. Add in kidney beans and adjust seasonings. Serve.

I made mine quite spicy. I really liked the hearty rustic feel of this soup. It was so tasty that I even had leftovers for brunch this morning. Yum.

Food Network Friday: Cuban “Pork” Chops & Sofrito Mashed Potatoes

This week I actually had time to participate in Food Network Fridays where vegan bloggers take a dish from Food Network and veganize it. My dish is from Guy Fieri’s “Guy’s Big Bite.” I was working at home one day and saw Guy make a dish that I thought would be perfect: Cuban pork chops with mojo and sofrito mashed potatoes. And not only did I veganize it, I made it virtually fat free.Cuban “Pork” Chops with Mojo (Adapted from Guy’s Big Bite)

• 2 of Bryanna Clark Grogan’s pork cutlets (I used recipe in Nonna’s Italian Kitchen, the recipe has been posted online here)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. orange juice (divided)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. lime juice (divided)
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
• cooking spray
• 3 tbsp. chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. white wine
• chopped tomato, for garnish (optional)

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, and vinegar. Add “pork” cutlets and let it sit and marinate for about 1 hour in refrigerator.

2. In a small bowl, combine all dried spices. Pat the cutlets dry with a paper towel and rub with the dry spice mixture.

3. Spray skillet with cooking spray. Place the cutlets in the pan and sear on 1 side until brown. Flip over and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue to cook until garlic begins to brown. Pour in the remaining 2 tbsp orange juice, 2 tbsp lime juice, and white wine. Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced.

4. Remove the cutlets from pan and put on a warm plate. Continue to reduce juices in pan by half. Pour over the cutlets and serve immediately. Garnish with tomato, if using.

Honestly I wasn’t that impressed with this dish. The cutlets themselves were great, but I found the orange and lime juices way too overpowering. I think it would have been better if I hadn’t of poured the sauce over the cutlets. The only change I would make would be to add some more spice, maybe some red pepper flakes.

However, I really enjoyed the mashed potatoes. I would definitely make these again. The original had butter and cream. I used reduced fat soy milk and I still found them super creamy.

Sofrito Mashed Potatoes (Adapted from Guy’s Big Bite)

• 2 lbs potaoes (Guy recommends Yukon gold)
• 1/4 c. chopped red onion
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 ounces tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup soymilk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

1.Fill a large pot with water and potatoes and bring to boil. Cook until tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat skillet. Saute onions and pepper in water (or veggie broth) for 3 mins. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown. Lower the heat and add tomato paste and stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half.

3. Add tomato sauce and bring to simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir in soy milk and set aside, covered to keep warm.

4. When potatoes are tender, drain and mash, slowly adding the sofrito mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with cilantro.