Tostadas!

This was the easiest and nearly the tastiest meal I've had this week! I'd bought some tostadas caseras the other day, and intended to simply cook up black beans with cumin, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and mash'em up a bit, then top with taco toppings of simple guacamole (take 1 avocado, mash), chipotle sauce (mince chipotle, add equal amounts of mayo and sour cream), chopped tomato, onion, lettuce. But I thought I'd look for a recipe for refried vegan beans, first - and I'm so glad I did! The recipe was more complex and makes a wonderful base for the toppings.

Vegetarian Refried Beans (courtesy of The Savvy Vegetarian)

* 1 cup dry pinto or black beans (my note: the ratio is 1 c. dried = 3 c. cooked. We used 1 can and halved the recipe for everything, perfect for 2)
* 3 -4 Tbls ghee or olive oil
* 2 tsp. gr. cumin
* 2 tsp gr. coriander
* pinch cayenne
* 1/2 tsp dried ginger
* 1/2 tsp gr. fennel seeds
* 1 tsp paprika
* pinch of garlic salt OR asoefetida (My note - we used asefoetida. Always great to find a way to use this wonderful spice!)
* 1 tsp salt (My note: this could have stayed out. Braggs is already plenty salty)
* pepper to taste
* 1 Tblsp Braggs liquid aminos, or soy sauce

Directions:

1. To cook beans:* soak 3 or more hours, rinse, cover with cold water (no salt). Bring to boil, skim foam, cover and simmer 1 - 2 hrs, until tender. Drain and reserve the liquid. (My note: if using canned beans, drain & rinse well, then run through food processer. Add 2-3 T water)
2. Mash the beans with a potato masher, in a food mill, or food processor. Add enough liquid to make a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil or ghee on low in a 2 qt. saucepan. Add spices and heat for 5 minutes. Add the bean paste and blend with the spices. Add Braggs or soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

The Toppings

1 avocado, cubed & mashed
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 small onion, minced
1 tomato, diced (we were out of the good ones so I used about 1/2 c of canned diced tomatoes, drained)
(about) 1/3 c. nutritional yeast
enough vegan mayo to combine everything, about 1/3 c
(about) 2 T adobo sauce or 1 minced chipotle
1/4 c. or more cilantro, chopped

Combine everything, adding enough nutritional yeast to thicken the mix to spreading consistency.

What else is needed: chopped lettuce, good salsa. vegan sour cream, if you have it (I'm out, and didn't really miss it)

Putting it together: Spread the refried bean mix, top with the avocado mix,then lettuce and salsa. Eat and repeat. Enjoy! We'll make this again - super easy (or did I say that already?

 

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

from the creative Vegan Mouse blog, shown on the postpunk forum:

Thai Green Curry with Veggies and Tofu

2 TB canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 TB green curry paste (this is spicy so use as little or much as you like - store the leftover paste in a little ziploc bag in the freezer)
2 cans coconut milk
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 package extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed
2 TB soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
juice of one large lime


Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger. Saute for a while until onions are browned and a bit soft. Add potatoes, carrots and green curry paste. Stir around to coat, then add coconut milk and stir. Bring to a boil. Add broccoli, red pepper and zucchini. Add soy sauce, sugar and lime juice. Lower heat to medium low. Add tofu cubes. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or so or until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Serve over hot rice.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rhubarb Muffins

Bryanna Clarke Grogan's recipe!

Wet Mix:
1/2 C smooth applesauce
1 1/2 C soymilk
3 Tbsp light tasting olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
1 1/2 tsp KAL brand stevia

Dry Mix:
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Additional:
1 1/2 cup diced rhubarb, can be frozen (mine wasn't)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare muffin cups by greasing or spraying with pan spray (I use special unbleached parchment papers because I like low fat baking and do not want the muffins to stick to the paper and rip apart). Combine the wet mix in the blender or food processor. In a medium bowl combine the dry mix. Add the wet to the dry and stir briefly just to mix. Spoon evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. C Cool the pans on racks for 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the muffins with a table knife and turn them on their sides to cool a bit more before serving. These vegan muffins are quite tender when they are very hot, but they firm up with cooling.

esme's special sauce

copied with gratitude from the postpunk forum

esme25 wrote

i make a sauce for pasta that's equal parts:
tahini
miso
soy sauce
olive oil
nooch or mustard
lemon juice or vinegar
and a few cloves of garlic.
eta: if i have mirin i sometimes throw that in, too.

mix it all up and add to hot pasta. it usually winds up being about 2 T. of each item. sometimes i add some spinach or something.

i usually use the sweet white [miso], but any kind will work.

it's really good with any kind of green veggie thrown in (like spinach, arugula, brocolli, scallions - that kind of stuff).

eta: when i say 2 T. of each, i don't measure. i get out my big soup spoon which i use interchageably with a tablespoon in non-baking recipes and use heaping tablespoons of everything.

and a quick trick. since the sauce is so easy to make, i boil the pasta, drain it, put the pot back on the warm stove, make the sauce in there, then add the hot pasta back to it. the heat of the pan and the pasta helps melt down the tahini and miso so that it works through the pasta better.

Ravioli fillings

I'm trying the first recipe, and one with the tofu ricotta, though I have added finely minced leek and another clove of garlic, plus a few drops of hot sauce. I'm also going to try the white bean idea, using it in place of tofu: cannelini plus herbs & garlic, and some greens. Over all that we'll have the famous 5-minute tomato sauce, and a green salad.

• 
  
• Smashed white beans with garlic and herbs, plus maybe some steamed and finely chopped greens
  
• Basic Spread Mixture for vegan boursin (from Bryann's blog):
  

1 (12.3 oz.) box extra-firm SILKEN tofu, prepared as instructed in recipe text below
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons raw cashews or cashew pieces, ground very fine in a coffee/spice mill or mini-chopper (I don't have this so will leave it out)
1/2 cup original Earth Balance
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon miso (not the very dark variety)
1-2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper

To prepare the tofu (important step!):

Crumble the tofu in a clean tea towel or piece of cotton sheeting, gather the ends up and twist, knead, and squeeze for a couple of minutes to extract as much of the water from the tofu as possible.

Whirl the squeezed tofu and the rest of the Basic Spread Mixture ingredients in a food processor at high speed for several minutes. Be patient-- it has to be VERY smooth. You may have to stop the machine a couple of times and scrape the sides and push the ingredients that have accumulated under the blade towards the middle.

When as smooth as possible, add the Basic Flavoring, or whatever additions you prefer. Process again if you want them well-incorporated into the spread

• basic tofu ricotta recipe (from Vegan with a Vengeance) with added finely chopped (reconstituted) sun dried tomatoes and garlic, plus hot pepper sauce to taste (4 or 5 drops)
• Vegan dad's burger recipe mixed with steamed, squeezed-out finely chopped greens

'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.