Tag Archives: squishy food

Oops, i did it again, again. Sexay nom nom nom….

Posted on December 7, 2009 | Leave a comment

Ahhhhhh. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of I, the midwest vaygun, having a peaceful morning in my jammies, drinking chai and thinking about food. not school, not money, just food. it’s amazing. I dropped out of school last week to put the focus back on the things that really matter in life, and i couldn’t be happier. We have alot of cathcing up to do, blog and I. so here’s the shake down: Thanksgiving was rad! I made Todd X’s vegan pecan pie! and it was heavenly. I also made my own version of seitan roulade, with mixed results (i will tackle this another day). and i had the BEST green bean casserole of my life, thanks to my sis becca. the majority of the pics are from a shitty camera phone so i left most of them out.

Also, i became re-acquainted with The HardTimes Cafe, why did i forget about thee for so long!? the entire menu is vegan/vegetarian with a huge mexican section, and probably the best biscuits and gravy i’ve had in awhile. They are open super late too, so now i know where the after bar sugar fix is coming from:)

And before i forget, the Triple Rock now has vegan cupcakes from Miel Y Leche! so good!

here’s what i’ve been up to food-wise since my last visit, so enjoy!

todd x's vegan pecan pie- unbaked

* this was hands down the BEST version of pecan pie i’ve ever had. you can find the recipe at the PPK blogs, or at getsconed! jus give ‘er a google!

african sweet potato and peanut stew from vegan planet

african sweet potato and peanut stew from vegan planet

chickpea noodle soup-with stars! from veganomicon

vegan almond feta! from the vegetarian times, thanks becca!

chickpea cutlets! i make em by the dozen! from veganomicon

thanksgiving take 5! cutlets, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and stuffing!

creamy tomato soup from fresh from the vegetarian slow cooker

vegan grilled cheeze FTW

and now an ode to the most important meal of the day:

CUPCAKES!

chocolate raspberry from the wedge

black forest from the wedge

cookies and cream cupcake from VCTOTW

vegan peanut butter cupcake from Meil Y Leche @ the triple rock

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Posted in baked goods ect, casseroles, cookbooks, dips and such, restaurant

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Creamy Coriander Cauliflower Soup

Posted on September 29, 2009 | Leave a comment

about two days ago, minnesota launched into “full fledged fall weather” mode, the wind picked up with a furry and slung a cold snap into our direction dropping the temps into to 50′s with a promise for 35 as tonight’s low. i retaliated in the only way i knew; crock pot cookery. your crock pot is the best way ever to warm your house and belly simultaneously while adding moisture and tasty aromas to the air. woo hoo! perfect for when the pesky landlord “forgets” to turn on your heat, or when you’re pressed for precious time. enjoy!

creamy coriander cauliflower soup

serves 6-8

2 medium heads cauliflower, trimmed into bite sized pieces

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c vegetable stock

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can light coconut milk

3 tbs cashew butter

1 tbs coriander, ground

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

this is so simple it hurts!

in a skillet, saute the onions in olive oil until softened and slightly golden. add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds and turn off the heat. stir in the cashew butter until melted, and then slowly add in stock until all of the cashew butter has been thinned out. pour everything but the coconut milk into the crock pot, including the juices from the tomatoes. cook on high low for 6-8 hours (or high for 4-6). before serving, pour in the coconut milk and let simmer for 15 minutes, using an immersion blender, puree the soup until almost completely smooth but retaining some texture. if you ladle this into a blender, BE CAREFUL!

"cheddar" and regular cauliflower from gardens of eagan and plenty of hot peppers!

"cheddar" and regular cauliflower from gardens of eagan and plenty of hot peppers!

garnish with sriracha and crushed peanuts!

garnish with sriracha and crushed peanuts!

you can also make this soup in a dutch oven or soup pot!

saute the onions and garlic, and in the cauliflower and cook until softened. add everything else but the coconut milk and bring to a high simmer, cook for 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. add the coconut milk and proceed with blending!


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Posted in cleansing, crockpot, Gluten Free, soup, Uncategorized

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Roasted Acorn Squash and Mushroom Lasagna Spirals with Bechamel Sauce

Posted on September 22, 2009 | 2 Comments

i love fall.

i love sweaters, sneakers, mustard yellow clothing, changing leaves, the whole enchilada including it’s ushering in of winter. another perk with the coming of fall is the vast variety and abundance of tasty winter squash and gourds ranging from the size of an apple to small child (srsly, check out the butternut squash at the wedge, it rivals a 3 year old!). squash, like sweet potatoes lend themselves well to dishes savory, sweet, or a combination of both. tonight’s dinner was inspired by a butternut squash ravioli dish i had had once. the resulting lasagna is creamy and chewy with a hint of sweetness brought out by roasting an acorn squash until caramelized. mmmmmm

Roasted Acorn Squash and Mushroom Lasagna Spirals with Bechamel Sauce

i also use this velvety white sauce to top pizzas, veggies, and as an alfredo sauce over linguine.

serves 4-6

1 small Acorn Squash

12 lasagna noodles plus one or two extra

1 1/2 c mixed mushrooms, i used crimini and shitake, sliced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 lb extra firm tofu, drained

1 c pecan halves, toasted

2 cloves garlic

2 tbs nutritional yeast, divided

4 tbs cashew butter, divided

2 c unsweetened almond milk (or other substitute)

3 tbs earth balance, or oil

3 tbs all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 tbs minced fresh parsley-optional

preheat oven to 425

place the squash in the microwave and cook on high for 1 minute to soften the shell. cut in half lengthwise and wrap each piece in tin foil. place on a baking sheet and pop into the oven for about an hour. prep everything else while its baking.

bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

place pecans in a large food processor and pulse until coarsely ground and set aside. to the same bowl, add the tofu, 1 tbs cashew butter and one tbs nutritional yeast. add salt and pepper to taste and puree until a smooth yet grainy texture is achieved, set aside.

tofu "ricotta"

tofu "ricotta"

in a large skillet, heat 2 tbs oil and cook the onion until softened. add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. add the mushrooms and season with a little salt and pepper. cook until mushrooms have released all their liquid and have started to brown. stir in the pecans and thyme and set aside until squash is ready.

in a medium sauce pan, melt the earth balance and whisk in the flour to form a roux and cook until bubbling to get the raw taste out. whisk in the remaining cashew butter until smooth and then slowly add in the almond milk until thoroughly mixed. add the remaining nutritional yeast and the garlic and onion powder and cook on low for another five minutes to blend the flavors.

by now the squash should be ready, it should be soft and possibly have syrupy liquid oozing out of the foil. remove  from the oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes before scooping out the flesh and mixing it with your pecan mushroom mixture. lower the oven heat to 350 degrees.

acorn squash stuffing

acorn squash stuffing

when the water boils, cook the noodles 6 at time for 8 minutes or your preferred firmness. while the noodles cook, cover a large counter with plastic wrap and place your finished fillings nearby. when the noodles are done, carefully remove them from the water with tongs and arrange side by side on the counter. bring the water back to a boil and simmer the second half of the noodle while you fill the first half.

noodle

noodle3

to fill, place 2 tbs of the tofu ricotta on a noodle and spread across with a spatula. add about 1/4 cup of the squash mixture on top of the ricotta and spread across as well. roll the noodle up tightly, but not so tight that the filling escapes and place seam side down in a lightly oiled casserole dish. repeat with the rest of your noodles and filing and “nap” the rolls with 3/4 of your bechamel sauce.

rollup

almost there!

almost there!

*i used 2 small ceramic casseroles, hence 6 “missing” rolls.

cover the pan with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more or until the edges have lightly browned.

to serve, pool some of the remaining sauce in the middle of a plate and place 2-3 rolls on top. sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

ta-da!

ta-da!

finished2


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Tag Team Dinners: BBQ Tempeh Pizza w/a Confetti Peppered Crust & Creamy Chickpea and Sweet Corn Soup

Posted on September 21, 2009 | 3 Comments

the weather was cool enough tonight to allow me to do one of my favorite things: heating up the house with delicious smells! i made a large pot of soup to work as lunches for a few days this week and a super un-traditional pizza for dinner. i tried to be efficient as possible by tag teaming my cooking and had both the pizza and soup done in about and hour and a half. take that rachael ray! to do the same, make your crust first, and while it rises prep your toppings and get the soup into the pot. by the time the pizza is baked, your soup will be ready to cool for portioning. you could also start the soup first, and serve it as a starter with the pizza to follow. if only i had squeezed in a dessert! maybe next time ;)

Confetti Peppered Pizza Crust

makes one medium (12-14 inch) crust

serves 3-4

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 c warm water

1 c whole wheat all purpose flour (or use all white flour to really see the speckles!)

1 1/4 c unbleached white all purpose flour

1 tbs Penzeys California Blend Seasoning*

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tbs oil

place yeast in a small bowl, add the warm water and stir. let sit for 10 minutes. combine the flour, salt, sugar and the pepper blend. once 10 minutes has elapsed, add the oil to the water, and add to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. knead the dough on a floured counter top until smooth and elastic. place in a lightly oiled, non reactive (glass, ceramic, not metal) bowl. cover with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm to rise for one hour.

*if not available try mixing 1 tsp black pepper with 1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powder. you will miss the red and green bell pepper speckles though;(

Pizza Toppings

1/2 c barbecue sauce. i used Organic Ville tangy.

1/4 c sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1/4 diced red onion

6 crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 recipe smoky tempeh (below)

Smoky Tempeh

1 8 oz package tempeh, sliced or cubed

1 c water or stock

1 tsp smoked spanish paprika

1 tsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tbs Braggs

preheat the oven to 425

combine the water, Braggs, smoke, paprika and vinegar and mix well. place the tempeh in a non stick pan with the water mixture and bring to a simmer. keep simmering until all the liquid has been absorbed. add 1-2 tbs oil to the pan and brown the tempeh on all sides, proceed with your pizza!

lightly dust a pizza peel or wooden cutting board with cornmeal. punch down your dough. place dough onto the board and roll out to about 14 inches round. using your fingers, dimple the dough allover to help “hold” more sauce. spread the sauce to 1/2 inch from the edge of the crust. sprinkle the crust with the onions and corn, and layer with the tempeh and mushrooms. using a long spatula, slide the pizza onto a pizza pan, or heated pizza stone carefully. i find the best technique for me is to slide the spatula under the lip of the pizza farthest from me, and line that up with the back of the stone/pan and then drag the board out from underneath with the spatula guiding the pizza onto the stone/pan. bake the pizza for 25 minutes, or until the edges are a deep golden brown. if desired, drizzle more bbq sauce on the pizza before serving.

p.s. i didn’t use soy cheese but that doesn’t mean you cant!

dimple your dough!

dimple your dough!

before.....

before.....

after!

after!

sexay sexay pizza

sexay sexay pizza

Creamy Chickpea and Sweet Corn Soup

serves 4-8

5 cups vegetable stock, divided

1 cup diced yukon gold potato, about 1 medium

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 c bell pepper, any color combination, thin 1″ slices

1 serrano or jalapeno, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, peeled, 1/4″ slices

3 cups sweet corn, if possible, grill or roast for extra flavor! (450 for 15 minutes)

1 tsp each, chives and parsley. use dried if necessary

salt and pepper to taste

*this soup is awesome because it gets its creaminess from pureed potatoes and chickpeas rather than a milk substitute, which can sometimes separate or curdle when brought to a boil*

in a dutch oven or large soup pot, saute the potatoes in 2 tbs oil. once lightly browned, add the chickpeas and one cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. cook covered for 5 minutes to soften the chickpeas. remove from the heat and carefully place into the bowl of a food processor or your blender. puree until smooth and set aside.

to the same pot, add 2 tbs oil and cook the onion and garlic until softened, about 8 minutes. add the carrot and saute for 5 minutes more. now add the peppers (and the corn if it wasn’t grilled) and cook until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. add corn now if it was previously grilled. add your reserved chickpea paste, and stir in the stock until all lumps have dissolved. bring to a low boil and season with salt and pepper to taste. simmer on medium-low until the flavors have combined, about 20 minutes. remove from the heat and add the fresh herbs. serve immediately, or cool and portion for later use!

wish you were here

wish you were here

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Posted in Gluten Free

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Midwest MexiCAN!

Posted on September 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

mmmmm. there’s nothing like walking into your cozy little apartment to find it made even cozier by the smell of cumin, chiles’, ezpazote and onions wafting from your oven. one of the things i had to learn to adapt to when i started dating someone of spanish/mexican descent was the complex spicy and savory dishes found in mexican, specifically tex-mexican cooking. the difference is really in the heat as true mexican food  is considerably less heated than its northern counterpart. the home that dan spent most of his childhood in was his grandparents house and as a direct result of this he has a tolerance for hot and spicy food like no one i’ve ever seen before. it’s scary! one year, we found a way for me to eat a jalapeno a day just so i could start to handle milder dishes, like tonight’s enchiladas.  my tolerance for hot peppers has greatly increased over the last 8 years and is still nowhere near the hubby’s, but that still doesn’t stop me from making or eating dishes that tiptoe along the lines of scorching!

here’s what i made for dinner tonight, a spicy, yet savory enchilada bake with 4 different kinds of peppers for heat that lingers, but is super pleasant and warms your belly. the soy cheese is totally optional, and honestly, i only added it because i had some to use up. if you purchase some just for this, i recommend the teese brand because it melts much better that some of the others out there. it doesn’t even taste like cheese, but its creamy sweet flavor compliments this quite well, otherwise serve as is or with my favorite, tofutti better than sour cream!

the midwest vayguns quadruple pepper spiked enchiladas

serves 4-6

12 corn tortillas (flour will turn to a glue-y mess)

1/2 package tempeh, crumbled (6 oz)

2 medium zucchinis, quartered and diced

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium red onion, sliced into short strips

1 hot pepper of choice, i used a Hungarian black hot, but a serano or jalapeno would be great, seeded if desired and thinly sliced

1 14oz can diced tomatoes, drained and juice reserved

tomato juice + enough veggie stock to equal 4 cups

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 tbs all purpose flour, substitute chickpea for GF

1 tsp espazote

1 tsp cumin

3 tbs chili powder

1/2 tsp arbol chili powder

1- 1 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 cup or more, shredded soy cheese optional

salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 375

heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 tbs of oil. crumble the tempeh into the oil and lightly fry until golden brown. add the onion, garlic and cumin and saute until the onions are soft. add the zucchini, and hot chili,  cooking until slightly softened.  add the black beans and tomatoes and espazote and mix thoroughly. remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

filling!

filling!

in a sauce pan add 3 tbs oil and heat over medium. add the flour, whisking to form a roux and cooking until bubbly and barely browned. slowly add in the stock mixture, whisking thoroughly after each addition to prevent lumps. once all of the stock is added, stir in all of the chili powders and bring to a boil, simmering until thickened.  get one large lasagna pan, or 2 medium casserole dishes ready by lightly oiling them. grab a large kitchen towel and dampen it, keeping it at the ready.

the next step requires you to work fast, corn tortillas vary in pliability and moisture content and can dry up and crack faster than you can fill them.

open your tortillas and place them inside the damp towel. pour a half cup of sauce onto the bottom of your pan. grab one tortilla and place about 3 tbs or so of filling into the center and fold in the sides. quickly put the enchilada on its side in the sauced pan, and roll away from the seam so it gets coated and placed seam side down at the same time. the first one always looks like crap so don’t worry. pour a little sauce over it to seal the deal, getting the entire surface of the tortilla covered. repeat until you have filled and rolled all 12 tortillas. pour any remaining sauce over the top, cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes. if you use the optional soy cheeze, wait until the last ten minutes to add it, mine melted too much and disappeared into my sauce :(

cute!

cute!

yum!

yum!

p.s. there are some of you out there who like me, used to hate rolling and stuffing the tortillas so you would layer them up lasagna style but this is why i think you should try rolling:

1. the shape is FUN

2. the sauce gets a better browning to it, and the texture is enhanced

3. layering tends to turn mushy, fast

4. its not lasagna;)

p.p.s. this freezes really well if you have an aluminum pan laying about.

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inglourious cavity basterds

Posted on August 25, 2009 | 3 Comments

One of the many joys that came with marriage was dental insurance. don’t get me wrong, the hubby was the best part, but without his moderately priced dental plan, i would have never learned that 10 (yes, 10!) years is too far to go between dental exams. well lucky for me today was the first of 4 (yes, 4!) visits to get cavities drilled. i walked out of park dental shaken, swollen, and looking like an elvis impersonator each time i tried to smile. but, on the upswing its an excuse to get jamba. i love you jamba. and i love that the next 3 appointments will be followed up with a visit to you. thankfully by the time i hit up jamba i could finally close my lips around a straw. my earlier attempts with water led to mopping the floor:)

jamba<cavities

jamba

i also had an equally squishy (doctors orders!) yet tasty dinner: Tofu Mutter

sprinkles vs mutter

sprinkles vs mutter

the lovely feline eyeing it up is the neighborhood peeping tom-cat who i’ve lovingly named sprinkles. she likes tofu too!

i modified the recipe from vegweb, found here http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8603.0

i modified it as folows:

1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 in. section grated ginger
4 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoon canola oil (or more if deep frying)
3 tomatoes, diced

1 green chili (or 2 jalapenos), chopped

4 green onions, chopped

a few pinches salt

1 cup vegetable stock
1 1/2 cumin seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 package extra-firm tofu, squared and deep fried or raw

10 oz package frozen peas (or fresh if you are lucky!)

in a deep pot or dutch oven, saute the onions and cumin seeds in oil for 10 minutes or until the onions have browned. add the garlic, ginger, hot peppers and garam masala. cook for 5 more minutes. add the tomatoes and green onions and cook until the tomatoes have released their liquid. add the stock salt and pepper and simmer until the liquid has reduced by one third. add the frozen bag of peas, tofu and the green onions and simmer until heated through and serve over brown rice.

i was actually quite pleased with the results since indian food seems to be the hardest cuisine i’ve tackled. but, as always, i felt it was missing something. but anyways, i’m off with the hubby to see inglourious basterds! best day ever! almost:)

mutter! yum!

mutter! yum!

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