'Asian' noodles

This was just posted by ficbot at the ppk. Of course I won't be able to leave well enough alone, but if this works, it's a good canvas for added veg & & &t:


ASIAN NOODLES

1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp liquid sweetener (e.g. agave)
2 tbsp soy sauce
splash of sesame oil
1 packet rice noodles

Boil some water, pour over the rice noodles, let sit for five minutes. Meanwhile, melt the PB in the microwave for about 20 seconds, stir in other ingredients, whisk well. Drain the noodles and toss with the sauce. Serves 1. This is a very quick and easy lunch with some fruit on the side. I tried making it with soy butter (my workplace is nut-free) and it was not as good.

Black beans & rice with sweet potatoes

Oh man was this good! I think next time I'll add lime quarters to squeeze over everything. We had steamed collards on the side, from frozen - these turned out to be a perfect foil to the juicy, slightly spicy dish. Don't skimp on the heat, either - or the vegan sour cream. It's all part of the taste.

http://veggie-terrain.blogspot.com/2007/12/black-beans-rice-w-sweet-potato-cubes.html

Golden Gravy a la Real Food Daily by way of PostPunk Kitchen

Itngredients:
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. canola oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage, or 1 tsp. rubbed dried
4 c. water
1/4 c. tamari
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tap. ground black pepper

Stir yeast and flour in heavy skillet over medium heat for five min or until fragrant.
Heat oil in large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, saute for 10 mins, or until it begins to brown. Add garlic, thyme, sage, and saute for 30 secs, or until fragrant. Whisk in flour mixture thoroughly, then whisk in water, tamari, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, and continue until reaches desired thickness. Strain into a bowl to serve.

Sausage-filled tortellini with 5-minute sauce

I wrote before about a fantasy meal (I know, pathetic, right? - deal with it) and then never did anything about it other than looking, realizing that it would probably take a while to do the pasta part, and something more expeditious to cook. So I finally reached some kind of tipping-point, and followed through - success! This is the sort of thing you want to make a double batch of, because it takes a bit more time, AND because you will definitely want to have it again (and again). I would serve this proudly to guests, including omnis.

The pasta for tortellini is Bryanna Clarke Grogan's recipe:

VEGAN HOMEMADE PASTA
Makes slightly over 1 lb.

1 and 2/3 cups unbleached white flour
OR 1 c. unbleached white flour plus 2/3 c. wholewheat flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour OR full-fat soy flour
2/3 cup water
OPTIONAL: 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
My note: I added a pinch of hot pepper flakes and oregano to the dry flour prior to adding in liquids. This was a great move :)

TO MAKE THE DOUGH IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, mix the flour, chickpea or soy flour and salt, if using, in a dry processor bowl, then add the water (or water and pureed vegetables, mixed together) through the top with the motor running. Process for about 30 seconds, or until a smooth ball forms. (The dough may seem a bit sticky, but you'll be flouring it as you work.) Place the dough in a plastic bag and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

TO ROLL AND CUT WITH A HAND-CRANK PASTA MACHINE OR ELECTRIC PASTA-ROLLING MACHINE, divide the dough into eighths, keeping the portions you aren't working with in the plastic bag. Flour the dough well and run it through the first setting of the machine. Now, flour it lightly again, fold it into thirds, and run it through the first setting again. Do this until the dough looks smooth. Then flour the dough and run it through each successive setting twice, until it is the desired thickness.

Next, there's the filling. I had just made a batch of Julie Hassan's sausages, with sweet potato - here's the variation I had done:

2 1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
4 T. chickpea flour
4 t. unchicken broth powder (I used chicken seasoning, and you could just use sage)
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. hot pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper

2 c. grated sweet potato (1 medium sized)
3 chipotle chiles, minced
4 t. adobo sauce
2 T. canola oil (I used olive oil)
2 T. black strap molasses
2 c. cool water

To quote Julie:

Before mixing your ingredients, get your steaming apparatus ready, bring water to a full boil. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.

Have ready 4 sheets of tin foil. In a large bowl, mash the pinto beans until no whole ones are left. Throw all the other ingredients together in the order listed and mix with a fork. Divide dough into 4 even parts (an easy way to do this: split the dough in half and then into quarters). Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll. Don’t worry too much about shaping it, it will snap into shape while it’s steaming because this recipe is awesome.

Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes. That’s it! You can unwrap and enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

So, I had this sausage done already. I know, I know, at this point it's sounding like this recipe will NEVER get done. Bear with me a moment. We're almost there. Next is the actual filling - this part's easy.

I took one of the sausages (you want about 1/2 cup total sausage stuff) and ground it up in the food processor, adding half a package of frozen spinach, which I had thawed and squeezed out pretty well to get out as much water as possible, and about 2/3 c. of nutritional yeast. That's it for the filling. Set aside.

Now for forming the tortellini. You cannot go wrong following this method, though note that I used my hand-cranked pasta machine, and rolling pasta out to a setting of 5.

Finally (!) I made the 5-minute tomato sauce">5 minute pasta sauce.

outrageous behavior

I am vegan for health, but I've been eating this way for over a year now. Curious about the ethics and production aspects surrounding the animal industry, I've read a number of well-known texts to learn more - including the occasional foray to the PETA site. I have not been in sympathy with their sexist marketing tactics, but - no, there is no 'but'. I am not in sympathy with their alienating and offensive tactics. I know all about the theory that shock brings attention, that old end-justifies-means argument that carries no water around this house.

How you live, who you are to your fellows - this counts. Every word you say, smiles, a hand when needed - these things construct your character over a very long time (if you're lucky). Small tradeoffs. Screwing someone over, expeditiously - the little-considered impulse to self defense. We do err. Trite thoughts come to me about repenting at leisure, and other bullshit. We do mess up. But an accretion of poor decisions - slight course adjustments - are capable of altering not only the path of the journey, but the point of arrival.

It is not enough, ever, to trade off human dignity no matter what the ends might ideally be. Today PETA attempted to run an ad following the beheading of a young man on a Greyhound bus. Intentionally, representatives of this organization created an ad modeled on this horrific crime, pointing out the horror of our slaughter of innocent animals. Their justification?

Yesterday, we mentioned an advertisement that we wanted to run in a Canadian newspaper in the wake of a shocking stabbing murder and possible cannibalism in Manitoba. Countless people have contacted us with their concerns, so we'd like to explain why we wanted to run the ad that no newspaper will touch with a 10' pole.

Yes, of course we were horrified (who wouldn't be?) when we heard the details of this barbaric, incomprehensible killing. And obviously, everyone's good thoughts go out to anyone affected by this violent act. That's all a no-brainer. Now, remember, PETA is known for being provocative—that's our job. The animals don't benefit from our silence. So our thought is always: How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!

We see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root. We understand that such comparisons may be uncomfortable for many people, but they're not inaccurate.

Responding to violence with anger is also natural, but just being angry solves nothing, does it? Real change comes about when we channel anger or sadness into action. (Quoted from here)

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? The exploitation of human pain only increases the pain, regardless of the validity of the objectives.

There is no guarantee that PETA's move will succeed in any way in convincing people that killing animals is wrong. I could not disagree more with PETA. My voice counts too, here in this strange country of blogging.


Meanwhile, my strong feeling is that I would like to send my caring thoughts and support towards the McLean family, who have lost their son, Tim. It is this loss that is even more incomprehensible and unbearable, and no political posturing should obscure the tragedy, or draw attention from it. As a parent I cannot begin to understand this loss, and it is in realizing my inability that I begin to sense the depth of the void that has been created.

Our responsibility to one another: to be kind. Isn't that all we've got?

Bangon Aloo: Eggplant with potatoes

Oh yum! - copied from fatfree, with gratitude! the only change I've made is to specify soy yogurt.

3/4 lb. eggplant
1/2 lb. potatoes
1/3 cup sliced onion
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp roasted and crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp grated ginger root
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp soy yogurt
1/2 tsp sugar
1-2 green chilis, chopped
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Wash the eggplant. Cut it into quarters lengthwise, then, holding the pieces
together, cut them across into 1/2 inch chunks. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly
and don't peel them. Cut into quarters and cut quarters twice so you get 12
bite size pieces from each tater. Very slowly dryfry onion until it turns
light brown (slowly carmelizing the onions)Add cumin and coriander seeds, stir
for a minute, then add ginger, half garlic, chili powder, tumeric and cook
over very high heat, adding a couple of tablespoons of water as necessary
to keep the spice paste from sticking. Spices should deepen in color, this
should not take more than two minutes. Add eggplant, yogurt, sugar, and green
chilis. Mix all togetherand cook 2-3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup of water, lower
heat and and simmer 15 minutes, with lid firmly on. Add taters, peppers, and
tomatoes. Make sure lid is very tight, simmer another 10 minutes, checking
occassionally so it is not burning or sticking.. If too dry, add a bit more
water. Lastly, add cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice, cook 1 more minute,
gently stir to mix, then turn off heat.

Mushroom tart

This is converted from the recipe provided at the Hollow Legs blog (and isn't that a great blog name?!) Sounds really yummy - can't wait to try this lovely light meal, with a salad.

5 large closed cap mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated (I will be using portabellas instead)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp tofutti cream cheese, mixed with
1 tbsp tofutti sour cream (the original recipe calls for 3 T creme fraiche)

Enough puff pastry to make 2 6"x 4" tarts - I used 1/2 a block of unrolled pastry

Preheat your oven to 400F. Fry the garlic until softened, then add all the mushrooms. Fry until softened, making sure there isn't too much liquid. Add the tofutti mix and the parsley and take off the heat. Season to taste. Roll out the pastry and make an indentation about 2 cm from the edge, all the way round. Leave to rest for 5 mins, then spread the mushroom mixture on the base. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Wasabi pea-encrusted tofu

Another one from the interesting VegCooking blog - you can sure tell where I've been roaming! I love wasabi peas, with their sudden heat - and savory after taste. Just imagining their crunchy spike against the creamy blandness of tofu - sounds good to me! We'll try it baked.

Wasabi Pea-Encrusted Tofu

1 16-oz. pkg. extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup wasabi peas
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

•Press the block of tofu with paper towels to remove excess water, then cut it into four equal pieces, each about the size of a deck of cards.

•In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic, then stir. Add the tofu, being sure to cover it completely, and let marinate for 15 minutes. If the liquid is too shallow to cover the tofu, turn it often.

•In a blender or food processor, blend the wasabi peas until they reach the consistency of coarse salt, then pour onto a plate.

•Dip each piece of tofu into the wasabi peas, coating each side.

•Pour the oil into a skillet and bring the temperature to medium-high heat. Add the coated tofu and flip after the wasabi peas turn into a crunchy golden crust, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Thai tofu wraps

Courtesy of the Veg Cooking Blog, this is an extremely tasty and satisfying meal

Thai Tofu Lettuce Wraps

1 small Thai pepper, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1 lime (plus more for garnish)
1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or cornstarch
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 16-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
8 iceberg lettuce leaves

•Sauté the minced pepper and garlic in the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the soy sauce, water, and lime juice, stirring until well combined. Stir in the cornstarch and simmer over low heat until the tofu is ready.

•Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick 12-inch skillet.

•Add the tofu and cook, stirring frequently (stir-frying), until heated through and browned on all sides, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the sauce and chopped basil, then stir-fry for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl.

•Scoop a spoonful of tofu onto each lettuce leaf, top with basil, garnish with lime juice, if desired, and serve.

Makes 2 large or 4 small servings