Tuna (Not!) Salad Sandwich

This is an amazing fake tuna sandwich. I give it 3-1/2 stars which means I like it a lot but I think next time I'll cook my own beans and it will be even better.

Ingredients:
15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 whole celery stalks, finely minced
2 tbsp sweet relish
1 scallion, diced
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4 TB vegan mayo
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 TB low Shoyu
½ tsp kelp powder*
freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Pulse beans in a food processor a few times - careful not to puree. Transfer to bowl, adding celery, relish, and scallion. In small bowl, mix together mayo, yeast, soy sauce, kelp and pepper. Add to bean mixture and stir.

Make sandwich with garnishes: tomato, avocado, sprouts, etc.

*Kelp powder is usually among the spices in your local health food store.

Brownie for One

Who can resist? One, just one brownie. And is it good! I stumbled upon this chocolately, delicious recipe at the Happy Herbivore website (http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/single-serving-vegan-brownie/). The only change I made to the recipe was to use white whole wheat flour and I added a bit more soy milk. Five stars - will definitely make again whenever I've got that chocolate scratch to itch.

Servings: 1

Ingredients:
2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp vegan chocolate chips
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 TB plus 1 tsp non-dairy milk
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a single muffin cup and set aside. Mix flour, chocolate chips, sugar, and cocoa . In another bowl add agave, applesauce, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract; stir until combined. Mix into dry ingreadients Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Chip Oaties

One of my co-workers saved my butt the other day so his reward was cookies. It just so happened that I had a discussion about wheat-free cooking with another co-worker so this recipe was perfect example to bring to work. There is no wheat flour in this cookie recipe, it's substituted with oat flour. If the batter doesn't seem as stiff as you're used to, that's okay. They bake up very nice with a little puff. Five stars - a definite keeper; tasty and quick to make.

Ingredients
1-3/4 cups oat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
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1 TB ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup soy milk
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1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup organic granulated white sugar
1/3 cup canola or walnut oil
1 tsp vanilla
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3/4 semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sift together the oat flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In small bowl whisk together the flaxseeds and soy milk. Add the sugars and stir. Add the oil and vanilla and mix by hand for about 1 minute until emulsified.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, stir to mix and fold in chocolate chips. Drop onto cookie sheet (I like to line it with parchment paper) and bake for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes and put and cooling rack. Makes 18-24 cookies.

Creamy Delicious Chocolate Ice Cream - Is the Search Over for Vegan Ice Cream?

I've dinked around here and there looking for a great chocolate vegan "ice cream." Most taste pretty good when fresh but after they've sat in the freezer for over 24 hours they're hard as a rock. This recipe is fairly easy to scoop but you still need to let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so after it's been frozen. The original recipe in Veganomicon uses coconut "cream" and is incredibly rich and creamy. I have no idea how many fat grams and calories are involved but too many for me. I have reworked that recipe with light coconut milk so I can enjoy it with a little less guilt! Don't be alarmed by the use of coconut milk - it just adds to the creaminess and won't taste of coconut. Four stars - I will definitely make this again. If you have access to a copy of Veganomicon I'd save the original recipe for special occasions and vegan skeptics! It's pretty incredible.

Note: This recipe requires an ice cream maker.

Ingredients
6 ounces quality bittersweet vegan chocolate
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1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
6 ounces silken tofu (boxed)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions
Melt chocolate in double boiler and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Place coconut milk, soy milk, sugar, tofu, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate into blender. Blend until smooth. Put in a container and place in refrigerator until well chilled or overnight. Be sure that the freezer container for the ice cream maker is in the freezer. Next day, make ice cream according to your ice cream maker.

There will be leftover coconut milk that you can use in a nice curry.

Red Lentil and Cauliflower Curry

You can never have too many curry recipes. This recipe originated with the book Veganomicon - The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook but of course I had to mess with it. It's a nice cookbook and I do recommend it for your bookshelf.

Ingredients
2 TB olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
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1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 chile pepper, seeded and chopped
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2 tsp Panch Phora* or your favorite curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
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4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 small cauliflower, trimmed and sliced into small florets
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2 TB fresh cilantro (optional)
2 TB fresh lime juice
1-1/2 tsp salt

*Panch Phora is a traditional Indian blend of whole seeds: fennel, cumin, brown mustard, nigella, and fenugreek. If you can't get it locally, I believe Penzy's Spice carries it online.

Directions
Have all ingredients chopped and ready to go. Pre-measure spices, too. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and shallots and saute until translucent. Add ginger and chile and saute for a minute. Add the spices and stir constantly for 30-60 seconds to release flavors. Pour in the broth and add lentils. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook until tender. Remove from heat, add cilantro, lime and salt, stir and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Leftovers are even better with a little lime juice sprinkled over the top. Three stars - I'll definitely make this again but maybe add some carrots.

Spaghetti Bowl with Veggies for One

The July/August 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times has a recipe for Rice Noodle Bowl with Broccoli and Bell Peppers. It's in a group of recipes geared towards one person servings. I didn't have any rice noodles but I did have some organic gluten-free rice, potato & soy spaghetti by Bionaturae that I truly love. The recipe instructions said to break the noodles into 1-inch pieces before cooking. I really like how that turned out and will do this again in the future. I am not a "pasta person" but this was seriously good. Dinner was ready in less than 30 minutes.

Rated four stars = really liked it and will make again!

Ingredients
1-1/2 ounce rice, potato & soy spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
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1/4 cup water
1 TB shoyu sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 TB chile sauce (more or less, to taste)
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1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/2 cup broccoli florets

Directions
Fill a small pan with water and bring to boil. Add spaghetti pieces and cook for 6 minutes or until al dente. Meanwhile mix together the water, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chile sauce; set aside. Heat up pan and lightly oil. Add onion, saute until limp. Add garlic, saute a minute or so. Add bell pepper, broccoli and sauce. Cook down until broccoli is crisp tender. Add cooked, drained spaghetti and mix. Viola - dinner is served!

Tempeh Quinoa Burgers

This recipe has been making the internet rounds. It is a modified recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook, Cooking for Health. I am intrigued by this book and have ordered it. But in the meantime I made this recipe. It's got a lot of ingredients. One in particular, sweet potato, I'm not sure about. It helps to bind the patty but I found that the end result was just a bit sweet which I wasn't wild about. I may make this again, but if so, I think I'll use a different potato.

NOTE: I enjoyed this dish more as left-overs. It didn't taste sweet the second time around. Perhaps it was the bun... anyway, this was tasty and I'd make it again!

Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups thinly sliced peeled sweet potatoes
1 cup water
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1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 cup minced bell peppers
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
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8 oz tempeh, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 tsp soy sauce
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2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
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1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the quinoa in a small sauce pan, add a cup of water, the sweet potato and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the mixture is cooking, preheat a medium skillet over medium heat, and when hot, add the oil. Follow with the onions and let cook for a few minutes until clear, stirring as to not let the onions stick to the bottom. Add in the bell pepper and garlic, cover, and let cook for another 3-5 minutes. Finally, add in the tempeh, oregano, black pepper, cover and let cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.

By now, the quinoa should be done. With a spoon, mash the potato into the quinoa until you have a well combined mash. Add the sauteed veggies and tempeh combo into the mash and then add the soy sauce, tomato paste, sesame oil, mustard and cilantro. Let mixture sit in fridge until it’s cool enough to handle. Scoop about 1/2 cup into a pattie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, both sides, pressing seeds so they will stick. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spritz or brush with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes until brown on bottom, carefully flip and cook the other side.

Eat on your favorite burger bun garnished with guacamole, sprouts, tomato, pickles, jalapenos, etc.

Makes 8 patties.