Sesame Grilled Eggplant Sandwhich

I love sandwhiches. Here's one I made the other day.

2 slices whole grain bread, toasted
veganaise (confession- I used to detest mayonaise, but now I am a full on lover, thanks to veganaise. Mmmm, creamy, tangy, goodness!)
mustard
1/4 avocado, peeled and sliced very thinly
grilled eggplant slices
red onion, sliced thinly
basil, rolled in a tight roll and sliced thinly diagonally
carrot, shredded
2 slices peppered Tofurky
pepper

I was trying to use up some eggplant so here's what I did:
-peeled and sliced the eggplant into 1/4" slices
-mixed with olive oil, pepper, salt, oregeno in a shallow bowl
-baked in in my toaster oven at 400 for 8-10 minutes, flipping once
-sliced it thinly and mixed it with a splash of seseame oil, agave, soy sauce and rice vinegar

Assemble the sandwhich:
-spread the veganaise and mustard generously
-spread the sliced avocado evenly on the bottom
-add a generous amount of grilled eggplant
-two pieces of tofurky, each folded in half
-then add the grated carrots, onions, basil

YUM

Baked Potato Soup with Steak Fries and Tempeh Crumbles

This was so wonderful, and the authors of "Veganomicon" say kids love this soup, something to do with giant french fry in the middle. It was prettty easy, especially if you have the baked potatoes baked ahead of time. I try to bake potatoes more often than I need them. My mom, ever the energy and money saver, would suggest to my sister and I if that if we were going to bake (and turn the oven on) we should make more than one thing, which often meant baked potatoes. So, bake 'em. And make hash browns, twice baked potatoes, french fries, this soup, whatever. Potatoes are cheap, hearty and seem to last forever baked and unbaked. Oh, and they are fat and cholesterol free and loaded with potassium, vitamin C, and B Vitamins. Here it is:
Soup:
6-8 baking potatoes (3 1/2 pounds) baked and cooled (350 poked with a fork and wrapped in foil for about an hour)
2 Tbl olive oil
1 large, yellow onion, sliced in short strips
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cardamon
lots of fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 white wine (or more broth)
4-5 cups water or veggie broth (up the salt and spices if you are using water)
2 cups spinach
1/4 cup rice milk, or soy, or almond, or coconut


Wedges:
2 heaping tbls coarse cornmeal
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp chili powder
generous pinch of salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
safflower or earth balance for frying

Tempeh:
8oz package of tempeh, cut into 4 strips, lenghtwise
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
splash or sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, lemon or lime juice, water, agave nectar,
safflower oil, or earth balance for frying

green onions for garnish

First, prepare the tempeh. Bring 1 quart of water to boil and add the tempeh strips, boil for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Mix the marinate and pour into a plastic bag (like one from the produce section) add the tempeh after it has cooled for a few minutes. Let marinate in a shallow bowl for 30 minutes to 1 hour, flipping a few times.

Once your potatoes are cooled enough to handle, preheat a soup pot at medium-high and saute' the onions with the olive oil for 12-15 minutes, until brown.

While the onions are cooking, slice the baked potatoes in half lengthtwise. Save three halves for the wedges. Slice the rest into 3/4 inch chunks. Once, the onions are brown, add the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme,cardamon and any other spices you want and cook for another minute or two. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Add the chunks of potatoes and the broth or water cover and bring to a low boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes.

While the soup is boiling, start the tempeh. Preheat a heavy bottomed pan over medium and add 2 tsp safflower oil, fry each side for 5 minutes or until very brown. Set aside.

While the tempeh is frying and the soup is boiling, mix the cornmeal, spiced and garlic and pour into a small plate. Cut the remaining potatoes into wedges, I got 3-4 out of each half. Get the wedges wet with water and dredge in the cornmeal mix. Fry over medium for 4-5 minutes, flipping as necessary.

Mash up the potatoes in the soup with a potato masher, until it is a thick creamy consistency. Add the rice milk and spinach, cook for a few more minutes until the spinach has started to wilt.

Garnish with crumbled tempeh strips, green onion and a couple of friggin' french fries

Easter Brunch

Here's what I made for brunch today~

Pecan Crusted Tofu French Toast

8 oz tofu
1 1/2 cup almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
1 tsp all spice
1 tbl agave nectar or other natural sweetener
2 tbl brown rice flour

6-8 slices bread (vegan whole grain bread is my preference, Ezekiel is good)
1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Safflower oil or earth balance for cooking

Blend tofu, almond milk, flour, agave nectar and all spice in a blender. Pour into a large plate and coat each piece of bread in the mixture. Allow to soak for 1-3 minutes. Next, have the pecans on a plate as well, and coat one side of the bread in pecans. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan or pancake griddle over medium and add 1 tsp oil. Place the bread pecan side down and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the pecans are golden brown. Flip and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with earth balance and maple syrup or other fruit syrup.

Baked Tofu Strips:

I saw this tofu from Soy Deli at Safeway and gave it a try. It was pretty good- meaty and savory, for sure. I sliced the tofu thinly and fried in a little safflower oil for 8-10 minutes on medium low, turning every few minutes.

Fruit Salad (this would be a kick ass breakfast all on it's own. Fruit is God's gift to us, really):
apples
bananas
kiwis
strawberries
oranges

I love fruit because:
it is sweet
it helps with digestion
it hydrates
it gives me energy
and
I can eat it with my hands

Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry

This was amazing! I'm stealing this straight from Veganomicon again.... pretty much, I love this cook book. Cook the quinoa ahead of time for this one, and you'll have dinner in under 30 minutes. Also, hit up the deli section for pre-cut pineapple. This was excellent as leftovers too, I ate it cold and liked it just as much.

Quinoa:
1 - 1 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (I used half white and half red)
2-3 cups water (or 1 cup pineapple juice and the rest water)
1/4 tsp soy sauce

*or you can use any form of left over quinoa you have*

Stir-Fry:
4 ounces cashews, raw and unsalted
3 tbl safflower oil or peanut oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic
1-2 hot peppers (I used 1 serano and 1 red jalepeno), sliced into very thin rounds
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cup frozen peas or cooked edamame
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, rolled very tightly and sliced into thin shreds
1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
10 oz fresh pineapple, cut into bite size chunks (2 cups ish)
3 tbl soy sauce
1/4 cup veg broth
limes for garnish

Prepare the quinoa first, preferably the night before. Combine all ingredients in a medium size pot and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 12-14 minutes. Uncover, fluff and let cool. If you want to do this the same day, let it cool for at least an hour.

Stir Fry:
Have all your ingredients chopped and ready. Heat the largest non-stick pan you have or a wok over low heat. Add the cashews and dry roast for 4-5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove and set aside.

Raise the heat to medium and add the oil, garlic and scallions. When the garlic starts to sizzle add the sliced chili pepper and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the bell pepper and peas. Stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes, until the bell pepper is softened and the peas are bright green. Add the basil and mint and stir for another minute before adding the quinoa and pineapple.

In a measuring cup, mix the soy sauce and veggie broth. Pour over the quinoa mixture and stir to mix well. Continue to stir fry for 8-10 minutes, until the quinoa is very hot. Add the cashews for the last minute or two. Serve with the lime wedges and additional soy sauce if needed.

Disclaimer: This picture is not the best. I was running out of the house to a soccer game, so I didn't take the picture until hours later. I think the peas were much prettier when it was fresh. Whatevs, it's delicious!

Chickpea Cutlets with Mustard Sauce, Quinoa and Broccoli

So the moral of this meal is; if you mess up, keep going. That's what I'm learning in life right now, big time, and it certainly applies in the kitchen. It's easy to get all anal and finicky when cooking, wanting everything to turn out perfectly... but if in the end you can eat, then it's a job well done. And,that is true with life too.... you can't expect every step of your life to be perfect, and in the end, if your still living, then you are doing fine. I'm telling this mostly to myself, but if it encourages any of you then, GREAT!
So in this recipe, I accidently used brown rice flour instead of wheat gluten. Um, big difference! I didn't label the bags and they were both floating around in my pantry... anyway, I ended up figuring it out and adding the gluten later, so it still worked, although it did taste a little too flour-y. But, really, truth be told, who cares. I ate it, Jesse loved it and it tasted fine. These are recipes from "Veganomicon". BUY IT!

Chickpea Cutlets:

2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tbl olive oil
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten (I find this in the bulk section of a health food store, but check the baking section of any store too)
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I keep the heels in my freezer and then throw them in the food processor)
1/2 veg broth
3 tbl soy sauce or tamari
5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garam masala (I didn't have the sage the recipe called for, so I used this instead.... I think any spices you want would work)
Olive Oil for pan frying

In a mixing bowl mash the chick peas together until with the olive oil until no whole peas are left. I didn't cook mine long enough, so I ended up using the food processor to do this step. Add the remaining ingredients and knead for 3 minutes or until strings of gluten have formed (this is the point I realized that brown rice flour will NOT make strings)

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Divide the cutlet dough into 8 pieces and knead each piece in your hand for a minute. Then stretch into a 6"x4" rectangle. You can do this in your hand first and then place on a clean dry surface to stretch it a little more.

Add a thin layer of olive oil to the pan, place the cutlets in the pan (as many as you can fit at once) and cook for 6-7 minutes. Flip, add a little more olive oil and cook for another 6-7 minutes. The cutlets are done when golden brown and firm to the touch.

You can also bake these at 375 for 30 minutes, flipping once. Brush each side with olive oil first. Eat it with a fork and knife! How often can you do that in the vegan world?

Mustard Sauce:

2 tbl cornstarch (I used brown rice flour. This is an example of when that substitution will work)
3/4 cup veg broth
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbl olive oil
1/2 cup cooking wine (I used some chardonnay)
1 tbl soy sauce or tamari
1 tbl lemon juice
1/4 dijon mustard

Mix the cornstarch or brown rice flour with the veggie broth and set aside. In small saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, garlic and thyme for about a minute. Add the wine and soy sauce, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to medium and simmer to reduce for about 4 minutes. Add the veggie broth, mustard and lemon juice. Stir often with a whisk and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. It should be on the thick side. Let cool, this is best just above room temperature.

Quinoa (start this first):

1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbl Olive oil
pepper, cumin, salt and any other spices you like
2 cups quinoa (I used half red and half regular)
4 cups water or veggie broth

Heat the olive oil, onions and garlic over medium low, covered, until soft. Add the spices and quinoa and continue to heat for 3-5 more minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil and then simmer over very low for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Steam a little broccoli and you've got yourself a meal!
Enjoy

PS- This is a lot of quinoa, but I am planning on making my next recipe with the left over quinoa. You should try it too, it's going to be fabulous. So, use only 1 cup if you are just making one meal.