gebuh - help! need advice!

[caribougrrl]

gebuh - my vegan friend is coming to visit for a couple of weeks - need some delicious recipes - show-off types

[gebuh]

I'll post a few here and pass it on to DD, she's the true vegan and prolly has more.
The link for the pumpkin oatmeal cookies is vegan, and super monster delicious.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6020.0 vegan enchiladas- I didn't use taco seasoning, but the actual spices themselves and no vegan cheese.
http://www.kosherblog.net/2005/03/09/blue_ribbon_vegan_cornbread/ I posted this recipe before with modifcations, goes really well with vegan chili- http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=104
vegan quesadillas - http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=26274.0, I modified the hell out of it, extra spices, fresh corn, but even carnivores raved over it.
This vegan risotto was just ok, you might have better luck with it than me, I could taste the potential, but that was about it - http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/vegetarianentreessides/r/vegrisotto.htm
basic curry recipe, I usually use potatoes, zucchini, peas, green beans and sometimes coconut milk(it really adds something).
Is there a Maoz nearby?  They've got bangin falafel and fixins.
Butternut squash and chickpea salad- really good if you can get the squash - http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/
veggie burger-I made it once and got it wrong and it was still pretty good - http://www.vegancoach.com/vegan-entree.html#%20anchor-veggie-burger
quick easy stuff; veggie fried rice(leftover rice, snow peas, broccoli, onions garlic, ginger, carrots and whatever is left in the veggie bin)

general site for surfing:
http://vegweb.com/index.php?action=recipes

For snacking, hummus and pita.
breakfast, tofu eggs; crumble up some firm tofu, fry some onions toss in the tofu and scramble with curry, s&p, maybe paprika, whatever takes your fancy.
You can make some smoking waffles or pancakes, replace the egg with flax eggs(check the cornbread recipe for directions) and the milk with soymilk.

I'll get more from DD.

ETA, almost forgot, mashed potatoes, boil a chopped onion with the potatoes, replace butter with olive oil, use soy milk and veggie broth in place of milk, add some garlic.
Haven't tried this, but it's on my list:
http://www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/samosa.html
last thing and I'll stop, I like spicy food, so most of these recipes I add extra stuff to, I find most recipes a bit bland for my taste.

[teetime]

This is a real show off recipe in terms of taking lots of time and being not only vegan but also raw ... but the version I had was SO good.  (I have never made it but only had it made for me.)

It's a raw lasagna that I think would be just as good not raw but with cooked lasagna noodles and cooked mushrooms.  The cashew cream is the really delicious decadent part.

http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2005/08/vegetable_lasag.html

[Run Amok]

Just a tip- if you try to buy any vegan "milk" or "meat" products read the lables. Lots of animal products make their way into things that seem like the should be vegan (soy cheeses and such).

[caribougrrl]

thanks for the advice all.


and gebuh, 

[sweetfeed]

Delurking because I was entertaining vegan guests recently and wanted to share a few things that I thought turned out really well. The Jamaican veggie turnovers are a fair amount of work, but the stages can be done a bit ahead of time.



Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad Recipe
From 101 Cookbooks

Buy young carrots at the farmers' market - slice them slightly thicker than a banana chip for this salad.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
more olive oil for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons unbleached cane sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted


Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil. Let them cook in a single layer - they'll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren't canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) - they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can't. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan - do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8 as a side.



Jamaican Veggie Patties Recipe
Found on 101 Cookbooks, but adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry

You can experiment with different sizes here, but don't go much smaller than a 4-inch cookie cutter. Any smaller and they tend to come apart at the seams. Also, be sure to roll the pastry dough thinly - a true 1/8-inch.
 
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Coarse sea salt
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced carrots
1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow potatoes
1/2 cup fresh green peas (or frozen)
1/2 cup sweet fresh corn (or frozen)
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Pastry:
1 3/4 cups unbleached flour (probably wise to double check that your flour is vegan, mine is but it may vary)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup chilled coconut oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling: In a medium-size saute pan over medium-low heat, combine the coconut oil, the onion cinnamon, allspice, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, carrots, and potatoes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the green peas, corn, cabbage, thyme, and lemon juice, cover, and cook for 3 minutes more. Season with additional salt and the white pepper (or to taste) and set aside to allow the flavors to marry.

For the pastry: Combine 1 1/2 cups of the white flour with the pastry flour, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set the remaining 1/4 cup white flour aside. Add the coconut butter to the flour mixture and rub with your fingertip until the mixture resembles fine sand, about 10 minutes. Combine the vinegar and water and mix well. Then, without overworking the dough, add the vinegar mixture by the tablespoon, while stirring, just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and begins to coalesce. Squeeze into a tight ball, flatten, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F and remove the dough from the refrigerator.

With the reserved flour, lightly dust a clean surface, roll out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Cut six 6-inch circles from the dough (you can use a bowl). Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling onto the center of one side of each circle, leaving about a 1/8-inch border. Fold the other half over to make a half-moon, press to seal, and make ridges around the edge using a fork. (If your dough is at all on the dry side you may need to run wet fingers around the edge of the circles to help get a good seal).

Transfer the patties to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve immediately with some hot sauce.

Makes six big patties, or a couple dozen smaller ones.





Chickpeas Romesco
From Veganomicon

Serves 4-6
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serve over a rice pilaf with saffron and toasted almond slivers.


1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 roasted red bell peppers, homemade or store-bought
3 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 shallots, minced finely
1 red chile, seeded and minced finely
1/2 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons unbleached cane sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pepper

Using a food processor, grind the almonds into very fine, almost powdery crumbs. Empty into a small bowl and set aside.

Working in two or more batches, puree the tomatoes and roasted peppers together until smooth. Pour the tomato mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

Preheat a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic, shallots, and chile in oil until the shallots are turning golden, 4-5 minutes. Pour in white wine to deglaze. Simmer for 1 minute. Add tomato puree, vinegar, sugar, thyme, and rosemary. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a near boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the ground almonds and stir until combined. Stir in the chickpeas and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper. Allow to stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

[Rejaneration]

Hi, Sweetfeed.  Glad to see you delurk and contribute.   

[gebuh]

Delurking because I was entertaining vegan guests recently and wanted to share a few things that I thought turned out really well. The Jamaican veggie turnovers are a fair amount of work, but the stages can be done a bit ahead of time.
.....

These sound pretty good, I'm going to try the 2nd or 3rd one this week.

[caribougrrl]

sweetfeed - that chickpea romesco looks particularly good... I'm going to hang on to the jamaican patty recipe, but I probably won't make it until she's gone... she's jamaican, and I would be too worried about it not being "right"...  but since she's staying for 3 weeks, perhaps I can talk her into making some.

[teetime]

What have you been making?

[gebuh]

What have you been making?

yeah, how's it going?

[caribougrrl]

gebuh - the cornbread was a hit (we've made it twice once with a bean soup for lunch and once for breakfast)
sweetfeed - chickpea romesco was good enough to make again whether there are vegans around or not

also:
Tofu au vin http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tofu_au_vin.html replacing butter with olive oil.  Very tasty.
Grilled eggplant & spicy chickpeas http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/420624/grilled-aubergines-with-spicy-chickpeas-and-walnut sprinkled with toasted walnut instead of a walnut raita.
sweet potato & plantain burritos with fresh pineapple salsa & guacamole
mixed veg thai green curry
portabello & roasted pepper sandwiches
noodle & soup (miso broth, udon noodles, mushrooms, tofu topped with raw green onions, grated carrot & bean sprouts)

[gebuh]

tell me more about the bean soup .....

[caribougrrl]

tell me more about the bean soup .....

the bean soup is really just a whatever's on hand kind of meal... soak a mixture of dried beans and/or peas overnight with some bkng pwder in the water... rinse before using... carmelize about 4 or 5 cups of onion (reduces quite a bit during carmelization), add veg broth to carmelized onion & bring to boil add beans, bay leaf, rosemary or savoury, a dried hot pepper... when beans are tender but not done yet, add some diced carrot, tomato, whatever other veg are handy and seem right, cook until beans & veg are done, puree about 1/4 of the soup to thicken, add back in and stir, serve with sliced avacado on top

[caribougrrl]

speaking of carmelized onion, I tried a megadarra for the first time and it was excellent... instead of plain yogurt, I served with tahini mixed with a lot of lemon juice to make a thin sauce

the recipe I more-or-less followed: http://foodjunta.com/2009/03/13/megadarra/

[Run Amok]

the bean soup is really just a whatever's on hand kind of meal... 

I heard this sugestion on the splendid table the other day and want to try it:

Soak beans of your choice over night (she suggested even a few kinds of beans if you like)
Then sweat mire poix (carrots, onions, cellery + garlic)
Add soaked beans and your choice of "soft" herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, or whatever you like) + salt
Add some additional veggies of your choosing such as zuchini, fresh corn off the cob… etc
Cook this over medium/low heat until beans are done and soup is stewy
I think I'd add a can of tomatoes or something too.

[Schrödinger’s Bat]

Damnit. I could never be vegan. They use too much garlic.

[caribougrrl]

vegan friend left today, I'll actually miss her but we're having caribou steak for dinner tonight!   

[Run Amok]

Would she have been offended if you ate meat in front of her?

[caribougrrl]

Would she have been offended if you ate meat in front of her?

no, she wouldn't, but it certainly didn't hurt us to be vegan for a couple of weeks... food is pretty important to us, if you aren't sharing a meal, it's just not right.  her veganism is political, so in addition, it would have been disrespectful to make ourselves steak while she ate chickpeas