vegan recipe – Lollipopsicle

August 24, 2013

Scallion ginger noodles

So this recipe is slightly more indulgent then my recent recipes (but lighter still then the original), just finished week four of plant based eating and I must admit at times it has been a bit hard, but one thing about a challenge is that is has forced a whole new level of creativity for me. Today’s recipe is a homage to the scallion noodles that David Chang serves at Momofuku (Pork lovers heaven) it is basically the only vegetarian item on his menu, my version is reduced in salt and oil and I add a few little things that I like. I have felt a bit like indulging so I thought this would be a good one! This sauce would probably make tree bark taste good, and would be a great addition to most anything, rice, salad, fish, whatever! I chose to pair it up with some fresh, yakisoba noodles, and some tofu.
Sauce:
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. neutral tasting oil, I used camelina
2 Tbsp. Ponzu (citrus flavored soy sauce) or Soy sauce
4 Tbsp. finely minced ginger (must be fresh, powdered would be a BIG mistake)
2 tsp. Vinegar, I used red wine cause that is what I had….choose your favorite.
Juice of one lime
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped.
1 tsp. black pepper
Stir it up real good, you can blend if you want, but I broke my immersion blender today….so I uh, just stirred it with fork. Check salt level, mine didn’t need extra….but this all depends on personal preference.
I used some fresh yakisoba noodles, it was a 12 oz package, and you can use whole wheat spaghetti, rice noodles, ramen, chow mein noodles, noodles made out of veggies or buckwheat soba. Serve hot or cold!

I topped ours with some orange bell pepper, black sesame seeds, and some delicious baked tofu which you can find a recipe here! These are very good, and you can double the recipe and keep in the fridge for quick meals. Try this simple sauce on some of your favorites, my kids gobbled these up! Ginger is also a beneficial part of any diet as it has numerous health benefits, and aids in digestion!

August 7, 2013

Vegan chocolate chip muffins with flax, oats, and dried cherries.

So the ice cream van keeps playing their annoying song on our street, every day, every hour. My 6 year old goes nuts every time she hears it and insists on getting a treat, I keep telling her no, so today I tried to find a sweet and healthy alternative to the afternoon Ice cream truck. I made these muffins today, and when the van came by blaring its obnoxious theme, Ava didn’t even notice! Victory for mom! Well I made these for the kids and hubby, since I’m trying to adhere to Dr. Fuhrman’s stricter regimen I technically shouldn’t really have these, but they are a great way to get a lot of healthy in a sweet treat. I ate half of one and honestly I couldn’t believe how good these ended up considering there is no added salt, minimal sugar, no butter or oil, eggs and no refined flour.
What you’ll need:
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup flax meal (I used Spectrum brand we love how nutty and delicious it is
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ cup coconut sugar, or a less refined sugar of choice
¼ cup dried cherries or raisins
½ semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used ones with soy instead of cocoa butter)
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
¼ cup almond butter (I love marathon brand, only contains almonds)
1 tbsp. Vanilla extract or inside of a vanilla bean
1 cup almond milk
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, line a muffin tin with 12 liners, I was out so I just used parchment paper squares. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients, add the wet ingredient and stir till evenly moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, bake 20 minutes. They will puff up, brown, and spring back when touched. I was actually shocked at how easy these were and how great the results were, I basically looked at some old recipes I had, and just substituted healthier choices. Next time I might add some cinnamon and ginger to spice them up, but in total for my first attempt at vegan bakery, I was impressed, my vegan baked good skepticism is gone, and you don’t need any of those nasty fake butter products that are marketed as “healthy”….they are not, if fat chains have to be modified in a lab….you don’t need it in your body.

August 6, 2013

Vegan Pho that is actually as good as the beefy original

I think if I was on death row and had to pick my last meal, it would be Pho. Traditionally a long simmered, complicated, meat a thon, it is AWESOME(Imagine that last sentence spoken in Oprah’s voice for full impact)! I usually order the #2…that’s basically the whole kitchen sink without the meatballs….never developed a taste for those. So it’s full of tripe, tendon, and the whole animal, which I think is great, waste not want not. I have done a chicken version and now this is a plant based version. Pho is all about the broth….that being said, a vegan version could pose a challenge, the vegetarian option at my local pho hut, is chicken broth based…haha! So I have been given a challenge….I researched, I shopped, read some “easy” recipes, that being said, I came up with my own, and even cooked some leeks, shitake, and rutabaga, in the same fashion as the meat, to add to the richness and mouth feel. This isn’t really simple nor easy, but the best things in life don’t come easy!
You will need for the broth
2 shallots, charred on the outside in a hot pan
3 inch piece of ginger, charred on the outside in a hot pan
1 stem lemon grass, smashed
1 handful dried porcini mushroom
8 shitake mushroom, stems removed and set aside
1 leek, green part removed and rinsed well, leave the white part whole
2 carrots, I used the stems as well since mine had them.
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, smashed, I used an amazing heirloom variety called “Russian Red” that is incredibly pungent, so I only used two
1 rib of celery
The stems from a bunch of purple radishes, I added these because I am going to use raw radish on top and the leaves as a garnish, totally my take and totally optional.
Black pepper and salt to taste
3 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos in place of fish sauce.
1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash, to replace MSG.
10 cups of water
In a stock pot combine all the ingredients except Braggs, bring to a simmer over medium high heat, reduce heat and cook 1 hour. Remove shitake caps, the white part of leek, rutabaga, slice, and set aside to top each bowl. Strain broth and return to pan over low heat, add Braggs, check salt level, add additional if needed, I am trying to avoid over salting things, plus your guests can add their own addition to their own bowls after it is served. Leave in pot on low while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
Hoisin marinated baked tofu

Hoisin is a traditional condiment for Pho, so it was a no brainer for me to add it to my baked tofu for topping our soup.
You will need
1 lb. Firm tofu, drained and weighted so you can remove as much water as possible.
1 tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 tsp. Bragg’s
1 tbsp. sesame seeds, I used black and white to jazz it up a bit
Pre-heat oven to 375, slice your tofu into four slices, rub hoisin and bragg’s on to each piece, place on a parchment lined sheet pan, bake 30 minutes. Use 1 piece of tofu, sliced, for each bowl.
Noodles
8 oz brown rice noodles, I used Annie Chun’s
In a pot of boiling water, add noodles, cook 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water, portion into 4 bowls. Top your bowls with some sliced onion, broth, veggies from broth, tofu, and let everyone pic their own toppins’
Toppins’

The classic are basil, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, limes, jalapeños or serranos.
You can also use sciracha, chili paste, hoisin, or whatever you like to season to taste, let everyone do their own! A fun and interactive meal!

July 17, 2013December 26, 2014

Faki (Greek Lentil Soup), also known as don’t “faki” with the old man’s soup!

Yep another install of lentil soup, but this is no run of mill “something I think up” soup. This is the real deal Greek style lentil soup that is simple yet outrageously good. You need nothing particularly special for this, more important it is the process that deems the desired result. I have a little story for you… about this soup, my dad, Nick, he loves the stuff….we didn’t eat it that often growing up but when we would have it or eat it at a restaurant and it was done to pop’s specifications it was always a work of art, and seemed to bring him more joy than the most expensive steak house meal. Lentils, aren’t art you say? Well try this then decide that. One brazen afternoon after I had finished my tenure at culinary tech college I decided I would whip up a “new” and “improved” version that I was sure would please my dad and he would never want to go back to the “old” way again. Knowing his longstanding love affair with Campbell soup’s bean with bacon, I added BACON! Bacon makes everything better right? WRONG, dead wrong….he ate a bite and his face fell, “did you add bacon?” “Yep, I did”. “It doesn’t have bacon, it never has meat in it.” He turned his Grecian nose up at it and never asked me to make it again…I have since gone back to the original and even made a few batches for him to try and I finally came up to with right formula. This experience taught me a valuable lesson, not everything is better with bacon, in fact the really good stuff needs nothing superfluous at all. Some things are about tradition, culture, nostalgia, there are some things my friends that we just can’t improve on. So today is my faki style lentil soup redemption, and if you’ve never had them this way, you are in for a treat.

My dad on the right, with his uncles and my grandfather (middle in the plaid). Never mess with tradition

1 lb bag of dried brown lentils, yep old run o’ mill $1 a bag kind
1 large onion, diced
5 yes 5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
10 cups of stock or water or both, I used 5 cups chicken stock and 5 cups of water
1 6oz can tomato paste
6 whole cloves
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp red pepper flake
¼ cup olive oil, extra for drizzling
4tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic till translucent, add carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and tomato paste, cook 2 minutes, add all of your liquid, rinsed and inspected lentils (you don’t want tiny rocks in your soup), bring to a boil, then simmer 1 ½ hours. Add salt (adjust to taste, depending on how salty your cooking liquid is), pepper, and oregano, add vinegar. Drizzle with a bit more oil and serve, you can add chopped parsley to beautify it, but not if you are serving it to my dad…maybe just a bit more dried oregano and maybe a drizzle of hot sauce (go with personal preference). This is great with a rustic bread or even your pantry staple saltines.

April 23, 2013

Spring Asparagus flatbread with Marcona Almonds

Asparagus season is full bloom! Aside from all the nutritional value, asparagus is beautiful and the perfect way to celebrate the blooming of spring and end of winter (I’m over it). My go to way to serve asparagus is to just use a lil olive oil, salt, pep, and roast them, sometimes, though you may just want to make something a little more special without a bunch of time consuming prep work…here in Portland, when the sun shines you get out in it as much as you can! Well yesterday was “meatless” Monday so totally inspired by a flat bread that I had at New Seasons market, I decided to make my own version. I usually don’t drive during the week so I walked down to the Wholefoods and picked up some ingredients. I love the fresh made whole wheat pizza crust at Wholefoods, it has five ingredients, and it’s delicious and a bargain at $3! Honestly, it’s made in house and knowing that it’s made with good ingredients makes it a great short cut and saves me a load of mess and time, some pizza joints will sell you dough, or of course you can make your own…but avoid anything that pops in tube….full o’ nasties. I got some asparagus from Cali at the grocery outlet for 99cents on Sunday (that place is a goldmine!) and I had some Spanish Marcona almonds, pecorino, olive oil, and red pepper flakes at home.
Preheat oven to 450.
Roll out your dough into a rectangle, or the shape you like, you can even make individual flatbread if you so choose. Brush the dough with some olive oil, add asparagus (raw), almonds (press them into the dough), sprinkle with pecorino or parm (I like the tang and saltiness of the sheep milk pecorino, it’s a romano cheese and I think you can use a lot less and get a lot more flavor, add fresh ground pepper and throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden. When it done use some citrus zest to add a punch of freshness! Seriously who knew almonds and asparagus were so delicious together? Easily made vegan friendly without the cheese and still delicious! It will look like you slaved away in the kitchen, does anyone remember that rice crispy treat commercial from the nineties, where the mom put a bunch of flour on her face so it looked like she had been slaving over the no bake treat? Kinda like that but way better! Enjoy!

April 22, 2013June 14, 2015

Greek Potato Salad

Let me begin today with why I like Costco, as far as corporations go, they ain’t bad. Costco pays a living wage to employees, provide health insurance, they work with local distributors, you can get certain products for quarters on the dollar, carries loads of organic products, Wal-mart could learn a thing or two from them, that is for sure. So about once a month or so I make the trek to Costco, it’s a total hassle…but occasionally I drink a few espressos and get ready to fight the crowds to hunt bargains. Well I got this 20lbs bag of Washington #1 Russets for $6, which is a heck of deal! Problem is, I’ve been trying to use them all up before they go to tater heaven (aka: become rotten and smell of decomp). So with that intro…let me introduce today’s recipe…..drum roll please TATER SALAD! Not that mayo extravaganza that you can play “guess that mess” with….meaning you never know what is in that stuff. I’ve mentioned in other post my dislike of mayo in general….spoilage…etc. This recipe I am sharing today is one of all time fav’s , as a kid I loved it! My Dad even made like 35lbs of it for my wedding reception! This is my version, I demo’d it on a televised fundraiser for public T.V. back in Utah, I was after Tony Caputo, he made gnocchi…tough act to follow but I think I held my own, even got an article in the paper! Sad part was the recipe was wrong…..instead of two teaspoons of garlic salt….it said two tablespoons, so really whoever made it from that recipe, probably didn’t enjoy it. HAHA! There are limitless variations of potato salad and this is mine…depending on what is available, you can use different potatoes, onions, fresh garlic or garlic salt, and use fresh herbs or dried, depending on the season. This is the salad in it most accessible and easiest version. Vegan and gluten free before it was trending, this salad should be one every home -cook has in their arsenal.
• 5lbs of potatoes of choice (I’m using russets, but I’ve also use a mix of Yukons, reds, and even blue potatoes when I can find them.)
• ½ red onion, small dice
• 1 cup celery, small dice
• 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill or 1 teas dried dill
• 2 cloves fresh garlic pulverized or you can use garlic salt 1 to 2 teas depending on how much salt your potatoes suck up, if you using garlic salt don’t add extra salt
• Juice of 1 lemon if it’s a juicy bugger….more if he ain’t got the flow
• ½ cup Olive oil (preferably Greek, but any extra virgin will work)
• Salt and pepper to taste (note no extra salt if using garlic salt)
Boil your potatoes with skin on till they can be easily pierced by a fork. Cool. Once cooled, peel, medium dice potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and stir. Garnish with some lemon zest. Make it the day before and its extra tasty! Can be served at room temp and won’t spoil at your summer BBQ. Try this variation, I think you will like the bright, fresh, flavors!

Doing a demo for "P is for Potato" cooking show for PBS. At Orson Gygi in SLC. — Doing a demo for “P is for Potato” cooking show for PBS. At Orson Gygi in SLC.

April 16, 2013

Super easy Asian slaw with homemade Tahini Dressing (Vegan and Gluten Free)

With summer just around the corner, I want to post some recipes that won’t interfere with our quest to look in swimming suits…of course they have to be delicious too! So here is my latest obsession. If there is one thing I have always hated it is store bought mayo. I don’t understand the appeal, it tastes like bland goo, it fattening, and it spoils at room temperature. Unless I am making my own fresh with olive oil I don’t use mayonnaise at all. So in lieu of mayo I usually always use a vinaigrette, but sometimes folks will complain that they miss the “creaminess” that mayo adds. The thing I’ve been obsessed with is tahini, it is often used in hummus, but lately I have been experimenting with it in other applications. Tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds it is strong, nutty, and rich, almost like peanut butter, but is more easily blended with other flavors. It’s vegan and won’t spoil if you are serving it at room temperature. By itself tahini can be way too heavy and rich, but I was inspired by the Tahini garlic dressing at Whole foods and I bought a bottle….but at $3.99 for 8oz I wanted to find a way to make my own. Whole foods uses liquid aminos in theirs and nutritional yeast. I didn’t have either on hand so I subbed in soy sauce and used some siracha to spice it up. This recipe makes a ton and it is good in the fridge for a week or longer. I make my dressing in a big mason jar and use a hand held blender. Super easy, you can of course use blender.
1/2 cup Tahini
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic more or less to suit your taste
2 tbsp vinegar, cider is good, I had red wine and it worked great
3 tbsp soy
2 scallions chopped
Juice of one lime
1 tbsp sciracha
blend together until smooth, that is it! WARNING: This stuff is super addictive!
To make the slaw, I got a bag of slaw mix at the store and grated 1 cup of jicama mixed in 1/3 cup of the dressing. I added sesame seeds, cashews, cilantro, and some scallions. As delicious as this recipe is, it also just happens to be vegan, and depending on the soy you use can easily be gluten free! Try this recipe at your next pot luck! Summer is just around the corner and I hope you try this slaw in place of the usual mayo based variety!

April 10, 2013

Vegan Red Lentil and Barley Soup

Well I am venturing into the unknown for me, VEGAN! I do cook some vegetarian dishes on meatless Mondays, but by most accounts I don’t cook vegan. Lately, I’ve been researching dairy and have cut most of it out of my diet (I am struggling with cheese and yogurt!) and I have noticed I feel better since avoiding milk, and Ice Cream, and going for non dairy options. The first story I remember hearing as a kid (and basically bi-monthly my entire life) was how as a baby I had a milk allergy, and my mom couldn’t feed me formula(she thinks nursing is for the clinically insane, she is a rather busty gal and found it impossible) or soy so I had to be on raw goats milk….she said I screamed for three months straight until she found the goat’s milk and honestly I found other things to scream about since then…haha, I do think that the American diet is too rich in dairy food, and that exploring non-animal calcium sources(almond milk is amazingly high in calcium) is something we all should do not only for health reasons but sustainibility, not meaning you stop dairy all together, but just reduce the amount.

10 cups veg stock or water or both or add some tomato juice, basically 10 cups of liquid that is tasty
1 cup pearl barley
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms, you will notice I use these often to get a rich “meaty” taste
1 cup red lentils
1 large or two small potatoes I have russets I need to use up so that is what I’m using, they break up more in the soup so if you prefer you can use a waxier potato like yukon gold.
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 small roma tomatoes peeled and diced
1 Tbsp or to taste good salt free curry powder
1 jalepeno diced (I took out the ribs and seeds in mine, I have lil ones to feed)
a few sprig dried thyme, some flat leaf parsley and some thai basil, these are added at the end…mix and match what you have on hand.
2 Tablespoons soy
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Method:
In a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot cover your dried barley with water and add dried porcini bring to a boil and set aside. Prep all your veggies, add the lentils to the barley and cover with water, bring to a boil again then reduce to low and add stock, veggies, curry, and thyme. Simmer till lentils are nearly dissolved, add soy and vinegar. I finish mine with a drizzle of good olive oil, cracked pepper and crusty bread. Seriously delicious!

You won't miss the meat — You won’t miss the meat