Tag Archives: mushrooms

More Porn!

i guess there were more food pictures on my camera! enjoy!

stew!

delicata squash, kale, carrots, chickpeas, and leeks floating in a lightly seasoned broth

TLAT Salad!

TLAT salad, but with kale and smoky eggplant strips instead of lettuce and tempeh bacon. on the side are GF flax crackers with raw cashew cheese

4-part epic!?

tarragon and balsamic grilled portobello cap, roasted mashed sweet potatoes, grilled peppers and string beans. i marinated the portobellos in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, braggs, dijon mustard, and tarragon. i reduced the marinade with white wine to make a simple pan sauce.

 

Mega Mushroom Bake, part deux!

this is one of our most favorite casseroles in the colder winter months, and it seems that each time i prepare it, i switch a few things up. the original version can be found here, and the actual original- not my spin on it- can be found in the garden of vegan (pg 147). in fact, i can find the page immediately because i have spilled the sauce over the page so many times that it’s beige. tee hee hee.

here’s tonight’s version:

Mega Mushroom and Eggplant Bake

serves 6

2 portobello caps, 1 inch dice
1 med eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 lb button mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, caramelized*

1 c roasted almond butter
1/2-3/4c boiling h20
1/2 tbs vegetable bullion
1 tsp herbs du provence
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/4 c red wine, whatever lying around

* to caramelize my onions i first slice them thinly before adding them to a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons earth balance in a cast iron pan. i saute them until soft and then pop them into a 350 degree onion to finish off while i prep everything else. they take about 20-30 minutes once they go in.

combine the mushrooms, onions, and eggplant in a lasagna pan.

thin the almond butter into the hot water, and whisk in the remaining ingredients. pour over the veggies, and cover the pan tightly with foil. bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until bubbling and the mushrooms have released their liquids. uncover and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the top. serve over brown rice, or couscous with something green. i also sprinkled mine with truffled sea salt and garlicky green “parma!”. yum!

Yukon Gold Potato and Wild Mushroom Gratin *3 part epic!

doesnt that sound absolutely yummy? since the “wild mushroom” part was left as a generic request, i skipped on the luxe, fancy dried mushrooms in favor of easy to find staples: cremini, and shitake. i do however, plan to drizzle some of my fancy truffle oil over the top of the potatoes, because i can! this is definitely a sort of “fancy-meat-and-potatoes” meal tonight, as i’m paring the gratin with some home-made seitan smothered in a sun dried tomato sauce, with a big pile of sweet kale on the side. feel free to use whatever brand/type of seitan you’d like, or check out my mushroom-y seitan recipe! tofu or tempeh can totally stand in for the protein of you’re gluten intolerant. changes i made to the original recipe: i used plain old almond milk instead of HWC and reduced the amount by 1/4c, and i swapped 2 tbs olive oil for the 3/4 stick of butter. serve this up with a big ol’ glass of red, and make googly eyes at your dinner date.

sun dried tomato seitan

1 1/2 lb seitan, sliced into 1/2′ thick pieces on the diagonal

1 1/2 seitan cooking liquid, or vegetable stock

3/4 c loosely packed sun dried tomatoes-not oil packed

1 large clove garlic

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

bring the stock/liquid to a boil with the garlic and basil, add the tomatoes, and cover. remove from the heat and let rehydrate for 15 minutes. once re-hydrated, puree the tomato mixture and set aside. brown the seitan on all sides; once brown, cover with the tomato sauce and simmer until reduced and thick, about 10 minutes. drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the top, and serve. *if i were to add anything to this, i would have LOVED to have had some coarsley chopped salty kalamata olives to sprinkle over the top.

Yukon Gold and "Wild" Mushroom Gratin with Sun Dried Tomato Seitan,and Kale

Yukon Gold and "Wild" Mushroom Gratin with Sun Dried Tomato Seitan,and Kale

another 3-part epic!

i really need a theme song for these meals. maybe the final countdown? it is pretty epic!

it was my late night at work, tending to the ever fabulous karen k. and before i left the house this morning, the hubby took  a few requests for the grocery list this week. all i could mutter, while half drunk on this sinus infection was “delicata.kale.chickpea cutlet.soup.bean-vegetable-pasta-thing” thankfully, the hubby can decipher my foggy musings, and when i came home from work this evening he was halfway through preparing some of my favorites! delicata squash roasted with pecans and cranberries, chickpea cutlets with mushroom gravy, and a pile of kale sauteed in a little white wine. heaven. you can find the recipe for chickpea cutlets all over the web, but i suppose i will just have to copy it down for you, and hope that in the wake of this festive mo-fo season, ms.romero and ms.moskowitz won;t mind my reproduction. i highly suggest doubling the recipe and forming 6 larger cutlets, but hey, i can eat.

chickpea cutlets-from the veganomicon

makes 4 cutlets

1 cup cooked chickpeas

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 c vital wheat gluten

1/2 c bread crumbs

1/4 c vegetable broth

2 tbs soy sauce ( i used braggs)
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp hungarian paprika

1/4 tsp rubbed sage

Delicata Squash with Pecans and Cranberries

serves 4

2 large delicata squash, unpeeled, quartered, scooped of seeds, and sliced

1 handful dried unsweetened cranberries

2 big hand-fulls raw pecans, coarsely chopped

2tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

kale

2 large bundles kale

1/4 c wine

salt  and pepper

Mushroom Gravy

2 cups vegetable stock

1/4 c white wine

2 tbs grainy/spicy mustard

1 1/2 c sliced cremini mushrooms

1/2 c diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbs flour

4 tbs oil


preheat your oven to 375, and start with the cutlets. the veganomicon says to mash the chickpeas, but i prefer to puree them in a food processor with the other liquids needed in the recipe, so just do it my way if you aren’t going to buy the book, okay? hahaha. after you’ve pureed the chickpeas and the other liquids, dump it into a medium sized bowl. now, mix together all of the dry ingredients and spices in a second bowl. add the wet to the dry, and knead until strings of gluten appear. divide into 4 pieces, or 6 if you doubled it, and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. bake for 20, flip, and bake for another 10. while these are cooking, start on your squash.

since you’ve already prepped your squash, toss it into a baking pan with the oil, salt and pepper. cover and put in the oven with your cutlets. i’d suggest starting the squash on the bottom rack on one side, and the cutlets on the top rack, opposite side, ad rotate them when halfway done. the cutlets may finish first, but you ca re-heat them on the stove later. once the squash is soft, uncover it and stir in the pecans and the cranberries, and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown. start the kale and the gravy in the last 15.

place the kale and 1 tbs water in a large wok over medium high heat. pop a lid on top (doesnt have to cover everything), and steam until reduced in size by half. uncover, season with salt and pepper, and pour in the wine. continue to sautee until extremely tender and wilted.

while the kale is wilting, combine 2 tbs of olive oil with the onions over a medium flame. cook until softened, about 5 minutes. add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and begun to brown. add the additional oil, and the flour and mix to form a paste. cook for about 2 minutes to remove the raw taste from the flour. slowly whisk in the stock, and add the mustard and the wine. bring to a boil stirring often, and cook until thick.

the perfect bite

the perfect bite

<3

<3

drool

drool

Soup!

soup is pretty magical. and so are crock pots. and when you have to orchestrate 6 well-rounded dinners a week around work, social, and nightlife schedules, the idea of cooking can be extremely daunting. thankfully, i love soups, crockpots, and can have the foresight to soak a few beans the night before so that when i come home covered in hair, starving, and frazzled, i can look over and say “aw shucks would you look at that-dinners ready!”

Cannelini and Quinoa Soup

makes 6 huge bowls

1 lb dried Cannelini beans, soaked overnight

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, diced

1 pint cherry tomatoes

8 cups vegetable stock

3 stems fresh thyme

combine the onion and garlic in a pan with a few tablespoons olive oil, and saute over medium heat until soft and beginning to brown. combine in your slow cooker with all the other ingredients and set on high for 6 hours, or low for 8. check at 6 hours to see if the beans are soft, or to see if you need more water. season with salt and pepper only after the beans have finished cooking.

cannelini and quinoa soup

cannelini and quinoa soup

Creamy Golden Wild Rice Stew

3/4 golden or regular wild rice

4 cups almond milk

1 lb cremini or white button mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 dice

2 cups vegetable stock

1 large white onion, diced

2 shallots minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp each of thyme and rosemary

1 bay leaf

combine the onion, shallot, and garlic with olive oil in a pan and saute until soft and beginning to brown, add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid. combine all ingredients  in your slow cooker and set for 6 or 8 hours. when the potatoes are soft, remove the bay leaf, and puree up to half the soup in a blender, and add back to the pot. season with salt and pepper, and if you’re super fancy, a drizzle of truffle oil on the top of each serving

creamy golden wild rice soup

creamy golden wild rice soup


Happy Birthday! Tag Team Pizzas!

you know how when you’re stumped to choose between say, cheeze pizza, or veggie pizza, you just get half and half, or one or the other? well, todays birthday boy got the ultimate birthday dinner: 2 different pizzas! instead of trying to keep toppings from touching, or having to choose between the two, he got one of each! lucky! the first, and a dear favorite of mine, was a truffled mushroom pizza on a deep dish crust, and the second, a snappy thai pizza on a thin crispy crust. let the drooling begin! use this dough recipe for whichever pizza you choose, just omit the pepper blend.

Truffled Mushroom Pizza

makes one 12-14 inch deep dish pizza

cast iron skillet

1 large red onion

salt, pepper, sugar

1 1/2 lbs mixed mushrooms. try shitakes, creminis, morels, portobellos ect cut into quarters, or 1/2 inch pieces

1 tbs fresh thyme

1 tbs chickpea flour

3/4 c almond milk

1 tbs cashew butter

1 tbs nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp each onion and garlic powder

1 tbs truffle oil

first things first: make your pizza dough and let it rise for one hour; while rising, start caramelizing your onions. to do this, start by halving and slicing your onion into half moons, and tossing them into your cast iron skillet. saute on medium heat with 3 tbs olive oil, and one pinch each of salt and pepper, and two pinches sugar. cook, stirring frequently, until soft and deeply golden brown- this should take about thirty minutes. set onions aside, and add the mushrooms to the pan. raise the heat and add a few pinches of salt. cook until browned and reduced by half, and all of the liquid has evaporated. add these plus the thyme to the onions and set aside. once the hour has elapsed, punch down the dough, and press into your cast iron pan (make sure its cool). cover with some saran wrap, and let rise for a half an hour. while its rising, preheat your oven to 450 and make your cashew “bechamel”. to make the sauce, start by combining the chickpea flour with 2 tbs olive oil in a sauce pan, heat until bubbling, and slowly whisk in the cashew butter, and then the almond milk. add the onion and garlic powder, the nutritional yeast,  and whisk until thick and smooth. unwrap your dough, gently pat down any large lumps, and prick the crust lightly all-over with a toothpick. now spread half of the sauce over the bottom, and sprinkle on the mushroom-onion-thyme mixture; drizzle with another tablespoon or two of the sauce and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  remove from the oven and drizzle with the truffle oil before cutting and serving.

caramelized onions

mushrooms

post-baking! omg

deep-dish truffled mushroom pizza

Thai Style Tofu Pizza

makes one 12-14 inch pizza

1/2 pound tofu, cubed

1 red jalapeno, halved and sliced

1 small bell pepper, quartered and sliced

1 small carrot, shredded

1 tsp minced ginger

1 clove minced garlic

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1/4 c fresh cillantro

1 5 oz can coconut milk

2 tbs peanut butter

2 tsp red curry paste

2 tsp sriracha sauce

peanut oil

limes

crushed peanuts

preheat oven to 450. start by sauteing the tofu in 1 tbs peanut oil until browned. set aside on paper towels to drain. to the same pan add the ginger, garlic, peanut butter, sriracha, curry, and coconut milk. heat until combined and smooth. punch down your dough and roll out to 14 inches. par bake for 5 minutes and remove from the oven. spread half of the sauce to within 1/2″ of the edge, and sprinkle with the tofu, carrot, and peppers. drizzle with a few more tablespoons of the sauce and bake until browned, about 12-18 minutes. to serve, top hot pizza with minced cilantro, peanuts, and scallions and garnish with a lime wedge.

thai pizza post-baking

crispy thai tofu pizza, all done up



Sexxay Nom Nom Nom….part?

january catch up edition.

i don’t know what i’ve been up to, or why i haven’t been posting. i think it was the whole “post-holiday-i-dont-wanna-do-nuthin” phase or something. but, none the less, i have been cooking, just not blogging. oops.

so, without further ado, heres the usual “post-8-million-catch-up-photos-with-no-recipes-dead-beat-vaygun-dad-syndrome” with a tasty birthday cake recipe! vayguns have birthdays too!

A Very Vaygun Berfday Cake w/Ganache and Berries

Vanilla Cupcakes

from VCTOTW

(doubled cupcake recipe, in case you were curious)

1 c vanilla soy yogurt

1 1/3 c vanilla soy or almond milk

1/2 c applesauce

6 tbs canola oil

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 c all purpose flour

1/4 c cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

preheat the oven to 350

grease and flour two 9″ cake pans

whisk together the yogurt and everything up to the vanilla. now sift together all of the dry ingredients and mix into the wet, without beating it to death ;)

pour the batter equally between the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. about 25-30 minutes. let cool before decorating.

Filling/Topping/Ganache

1/2 c seedless raspberry or strawberry preserves

1/3 c chocolate chips (non dairy of course)

2 tbs pure maple syrup

1/4 c almond milk

1/2 c sliced strawberries

heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles just begin to break around the edges. remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate chips until smooth. now add the maple. set aside to cool down.

assemble!

spread the jam between the 2 layers, and stick the cakes together. spoon, drizzle, and spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake-dont worry about perfection. now, dust w/ confectioners sugar if you’re feelin fancy, and dot with the berries!

*i’m actually not a huge frosting/buttercreme person-i scrape it off- so this was my pared-down, “not too sweet”but super yummy birthday request.

step one: add the jam!

1. add the jam

step two: ganache!

2. ganache!

voila`! my vegan birthday cake!

and now, the pics!

minestrone

orange/balsamic glazed tempeh w/kale and shallot rissotto

bell peppers stuffed w/veggie sausage, criminis and cous cous

veggie loaf! and more kale!

potato rolls from the veganomicon

vegan helter skelter from the hardtimes cafe

vegan migas from the hardtimes cafe

simple pesto noodles with shredded zuchinni

broccoli raabe with sage and white beans

Crimini Ravioli with Basil Walnut Pesto

i’ve always wanted a pasta rolling attachment for my kitchen aid mixer. i’ve dreamed of making fresh linguine, ravioli, and my own lasagna noodles; but alas, the attachment is around $150 and my little pockets can’t spare that much change. however, i found a handy little sumthin’ sumthin’ that made my holiday dinner a hit: potsticker wrappers. potsticker wrappers are essentially little sheets of pasta, and i found a brand that was egg free (thanks becca!). there are inexpensive, easy to use, and i look forward to discovering all of the ways i can manipulate them to put towards other recipes. the best part? you can make a friggin ton of these pillowy little pasta’s and freeze them for use later. brilliant!

Crimini Ravioli

makes 32, enough for 6-8 people

2 packages Wing Hing brand, or another egg free potsticker wrapper

8 large Crimini mushrooms, cut into 4 thick slices each

64 baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry

1/2 lb tofu

1 tbs ground cashews, or cashew butter

1 tbs nutritional yeast

1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 3 tbs water or milk alternative

Basil Walnut Pesto

3 cups packed, fresh basil

olive oil

2 hand-fulls, or maybe 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

2 cloves garlic

pinch salt

olive oil

Place all pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor. turn on high, and stream in enough olive oil to make a smooth sauce.

Place a tablespoon of oil into a large skillet and place over medium high heat. put about a half of the mushrooms into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. sear the mushrooms on both sides until deep golden brown and soft. repeat with remaining mushrooms and set aside.

Place tofu, nutritional yeast, and cashew butter in a food processor and blend until smooth. season with salt and pepper to taste. spoon into the corner of a plastic bag 0and snip off the corner.

Cover a section of your counter top with parchment paper and lay out 32 potsticker wrappers. on each wrapper place 2 spinach leaves, a teaspoon of tofu, and one mushroom. brush the edges of the wrapper with the cornstarch mixture and place another wrapper on top, pressing the edges firmly to seal. if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and flute or crimp the edges! pop these onto a cookie sheet with parchment between the layers and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes, or however long it takes to boil a large pot of salted water. if you would like to eat these another day, freeze for 2 hours and then pop them into a freezer bag for storage.

Once the water boils, add the raviolis in batches of 8 and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pillowy and translucent. transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with a little pesto. repeat with the remaining pasta and serve with a little marinara, or another sauce of choice. *if cooking from frozen, simmer until the raviolis float, and then cook for about 20 seconds longer. weird, i know.

yum!

piping on the tofu ricotta

halfway there little buddies!

"transluscent and pillowy" aka creepy fried egg

vegan ravioli nom nom nom

Tempeh Stroganoff

this is another one of dan and i’s fall/winter staples. most vegan stroganoff recipes call for seitan to replace the meat, but i choose to use tempeh, aka my absolute favorite soy food. i marinate the tempeh in my tried and true liquid magic: braggs, veggie stock, and balsamic vinegar. the result is amazing. juicy brown chunks of tempeh swimming alongside onions and mushrooms served over wide noodles. i rarely use super processed soy products, but tofutti better than sour cream really ties this all together. i use fun shaped whole wheat pasta, but for a more traditional approach, use regular farfalle, or another, wide flat noodle.

Tempeh Stroganoff

serves 4-6

2 tbs olive oil

16 oz tempeh, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips

2 c vegetable stock + 1/2 c stock, divided

2 tbs  braggs

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 lg yellow onion, chopped

16 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 tbs all purpose flour

1 1/2 tbs sweet hungarian paprika

salt and pepper

2 tbs tomato paste-optional

1/2 vegan sour cream (veg web has recipes if you want to DIY)

in large non stick pan, pour the 1/2 c stock, braggs and vinegar over your tempeh. bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. cook until all the liquid has reduced, turning every 5 minutes or so. remove tempeh, wipe out the pan and add one tbs of the oil. add the tempeh back to the pan and brown on all sides. set aside

heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and add the onion, cooking until soft. add the mushrooms and cook until all the liquid had released.

mix in the paprika and flour, forming a roux. let this cook for a minute to cook out the raw taste in the flour. slowly stream in the last 2 cups of stock. add the tomato paste, if you’d like. sometimes i use it, sometimes i dont;)

let this come to a bubble and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. while you’re waiting, start the water for pasta, rice ect. after 20 minutes, whisk in the sour cream and add the tempeh/seitan whatevs, and heat thoroughly. serve with some garlicky green beans and pat yourself on the back!


tasty tempeh

garlicky green beans! **droolsyummy vegan tempeh stroganoff

Mega Mushroom Bake!

this was a recipe that had come from the garden of vegan but over the years we tweaked the ingredients and amounts to suit or palettes better. the original recipe call for powdered almonds, which our blender could never do, and tons of braggs which made for a very salty dish. we doubled the sauce, swapped cashew butter for the powdered nuts, switched up the mushrooms, and cut out 2/3rds of the braggs.  its actually has become one of our most favorite casseroles to make during the cold minnesota months. if you’re feeding a large group, you can double or triple the recipe and either bake it in a large glass lasagna pan, or cook it on high in your crock pot for 2-3 hours. either way its super delicious.

Mega Mushroom Bake

serves 4

2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and cubed

4 cups cleaned and halved mushrooms, crimini’s work great, as do buttons and shitakes

1 c cashew or almond butter, we use cashew

1/4 c olive oil

2-3 tbs braggs liquid aminos, or soy sauce, or wheat free tamari

1/2 c water

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp died thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

1 small red onion, minced

preheat the oven to 350

place the prepped mushrooms in a large casserole dish. whisk together everything but the onions. pour the sauce over the shrooms. top with the onions. cover and bake til dark brown and bubbly, 35-45 minutes. uncover and bake 10 minutes more. serve over cous-cous, brown rice or quinoa with a nice green veggie on the side. its super yummy with kale!

before

before

after!

after!