Ich besorge das Bier.

German food reminds me of fall, and even though it got sort of hot today, the leaves are changing, and I'm looking forward to sweaters and boots. When I picked up a bag of Verisoy Vegan Spare Ribs today at Evergreen, I decided that going with an Asian dish would be too predictable. Enter the sauerkraut.

Of course, after it was all plated and tasted, I realized that this would be even better with Tofurky brats or vegan knackwurst. Also, I've never made vegan spaetzle before, but Bryanna's recipe is (of course) flawless. I made mine with regular unbleached all purpose flour and soy flour. I also used a metal colander to make the dumplings and angered the arthritis gods. It's not easy, and now I'm putting "spaetzle maker" on my Christmas list. I threw in the parsnips because Bryanna did, but I didn't have her recipe for those. I just sort of threw them in the pan.

Vegan Pork with Apples and Sauerkraut with Golden Parsnips and Spaetzle
makes 4-6 servings

1/2 bag vegan spare ribs (about 15), or four vegan bratwursts, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp+1 tsp caraway seed, divided
1 32 oz jar sauerkraut
1 small red onion, sliced
2 tart apples, cored and diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 oz German beer (I used a Bavarian double bock)
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced parsnips
2 tbsp vegan margarine
salt and pepper
1 or 2 tsp dried parsley
spaetzle, buttered with margarine and seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished with a little parsley and coconut bacon, if desired.

Heat oven to 350°
On the stove, heat a skillet over low -medium heat and add olive oil. Sauté the spare ribs or brat slices and onion until starting to brown. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of caraway seed. Remove from heat and set aside on a paper towel - lined plate. In a casserole dish, combine the sauerkraut, apples, remaining caraway seed, brown sugar, and beer. Top with the pork/onion mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and cook another 10 minutes. Let rest for five minutes, minimum.

Meanwhile, make your spaetzle and parsnips. Boil the parsnips for about ten minutes, and drain. In your skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons margarine over low heat. Add parsnips. Sprinkle with a little salt, and cook slowly, about ten minutes or so, until they start to caramelize. Move to a serving dish and toss with parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve: give each plate a small pile of spaetzle, a scoop of parsnips, and top it with the pork, apples, and sauerkraut.

Hungry Vegan Dinner

So, I missed another day. I doubt anyone was keeping track other than myself. I promise to do better next year! I blame wine and muscle relaxers.

I know I've mentioned the Gardein meatloaf before. It's SUPER GOOD. I have now sworn to stop trying to recreate meatloaf, because it's been done. God help me if Gardein stops making it. Anyway, let's say you have some, but want to make it fancy? Well, if you've got some frozen mixed vegetables and some leftover mashed potatoes, you're cooking with gas.

This picture looked a lot better on my phone.

Meatloaf Shepherd's Pie
makes 2 small or 1 large pie

1 package Gardein meatloaf, thawed
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 vegetable broth
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1 tsp cornstarch
 1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp marjoram 
salt and pepper
splash red wine
3 tbsp vegan sour cream
2 cups mashed potatoes

Heat oven to 350°

Make a roux with the margarine and cornstarch over low heat. Whisk in the veg broth, and then the contents of the gravy packets. Crumble the meatloaf slices into the sauce. Add vegetables and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine and sour cream. Put into small baking dishes for individual pies, or in one big casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes, spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes turn golden. Let rest for five minutes and serve.

Balls.

Here's a quick and easy one, and people who've never eaten vegan before will think you slaved over a stove for hours. It's really simple. All you need are meatless meatballs (I've seen them in the freezer at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and every co-op in the Twin Cities. I'm using Trader Joe's balls tonight), a small French bread roll or hoagie bun, some leftover marinara sauce, and some Daiya mozzarella cheese. Voila, vegan meatball hero.

Why did I opt for the quickest recipe ever tonight? I have to be up and back at work at 6:45am, and I love sleeping.

Slice open the hoagie roll. Brush with vegan margarine and crushed garlic. Toast lightly. Meanwhile, bake a few meatless balls according to the instructions on the bag. Heat up your sauce. Arrange some balls on the bread, slather with sauce, top with cheese. Broil the sandwich open faced for about two minutes, or until the cheese melts, but before you burn the bread (like I did).

Assemble your sandwich, get a bunch of napkins, and shove it in your facehole.

Seoul Food.

This is a variation on something I make a lot, only instead of pancakes, I put the chicken and slaw inside tortillas.  I wanted to do something a little more involved, so I gave these a shot. These would make a fun appetizer if you make the pancakes tiny, with a tiny bit of slaw and a tiny bit of the chicken, but they can be messy, so having a fork is a must.

Scallion Pancakes with Korean Barbecue Chick'n and Asian Slaw
makes four servings

1 package Simply Balanced meatless Korean Barbecue Chicken, prepared

For the pancakes:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
1 flax or Ener-G egg
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp shoyu
1 1/2 cups water
6 scallions, trimmed and sliced
2 tsp crushed red pepper

Combine the dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry until just mixed. Fold in the scallions and red peppers. Heat skillet over low-medium heat, spray with cooking spray. With a measuring cup, pour a half cup or so of batter onto the skillet.  When edges turn dry, flip.  Cook for about a minute, and move to a plate.  Repeat with the rest of the batter.

For the slaw:

4 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
3 heaping tbsp vegan mayo
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp shoyu
2 tsp sesame oil
sriracha to taste
1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Mix all that up in a big bowl.

Serve barbecue chicken with pancakes and slaw.

Feel the burn.

Kids, be careful. Hot oil + water droplets = danger.  I think I'm going to have a scar. On the bright side, my wrist is the only thing that feels burned tonight, because this turned out relatively mild.

Today I'm using Target's Simply Balanced brand meatless smoky chipotle chicken. I asked a friend what he'd make with it, and chili was a suggestion. Chili it is! I used my basics: tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, cumin. .. but then threw in an extra chipotle pepper and some cinnamon for fun.

Smoky Chipotle Chick'n Chili
makes six servings

1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
1 package Simply Balanced meatless Smoky Chipotle Chicken, thawed but not combined with the sauce, cut up into smaller pieces
2 14oz cans beans (I used pinto beans and black beans)
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp dried oregano
juice of 1/2 lime 
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (about a tbsp of pepper and sauce)
1/2 cup beer or water
2 tbsp masa harina
vegan sour cream, cilantro, cheeze shreds to garnish

In a soup pot over low heat, heat a tsp or so olive oil. Cook the onion, and garlic for about a minute. Add the chicken. Cook until chicken is starting to brown, and the veggies are soft. Add beans, sauce packets, tomato sauce, corn, salt, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, oregano, and lime. Taste for heat and seasoning. Add the chipotle if you can take it. In a cup, mix the beer with the masa harina, and add to the chili. Cook for five more minutes, and serve with garnishes.

A day late and a dollar short.

Sorry for skipping yet another day of MoFo. I really have no excuse other than laziness, because while I was off yesterday for the Replacements concert, I ended up spending the day doing laundry and binge-watching Criminal Minds.

I owe one more day for Mystery Box, even though it appears Chelsea over at Suzie V. Homemaker skipped it also, so I'll wrap up last week and kick off this week with the same recipe.

For Saturday: Your recipe must include two of the following ingredients: artichokes, spinach, peas, and oyster mushrooms.

Well, even though I have a week til payday, I realized yesterday that I've burned through a lot of my last check with this MoFo business. I have a fridge full of leftovers, but needing to go get all new stuff every day wrung me out pretty quick. I was sad that I couldn't get a t-shirt last night (although I heard the wait was an hour plus at the merch table). I decided to head to Target instead of Whole Foods today, and that's where I came up with a theme for this week when I saw these:

In addition to the Korean Barbecue Chicken, they also had Smoky Chipotle Chicken, and Miso Mushroom Turkey (which I decided to use tonight).

I read a lot of opinions about vegan meats from every person, be they vegan or not. If a vegan eats them, the omnivore sometimes assumes that we need meat and it's our bodies "speaking to us" or I've even heard--multiple times--the "if you don't like meat, why are you eating something that looks and tastes just like it" as if, you know, how dare we. Then I hear from vegans who say things like, "Well, it's okay for new vegans as they transition." Okay. So, I guess I've been transitioning for eight years because I still love this stuff. Also, I didn't go vegan because I didn't like meat, cheese, ice cream, eggs, etc. I loved all of it. I just could no longer justify killing animals for something that's just not needed. And these days, it's even easier. They didn't have Gardein when I went vegan, and Target definitely wasn't putting out their own line of Gardein-type products. Anyone who says it's too hard to be vegan should know that I made it, and I can't stick to anything. It was fairly easy back then, but now, it's ridiculous how many choices there are.

That said, I'm going to do a week of vegan meat dishes, starting with this wrap-up for Mystery Box. 

Miso Mushroom Turkey Hotdish

makes six servings

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped 

1 cup sliced mushrooms (I didn't get oyster, but had some criminis left over)

2 tsp minced garlic

olive oil for sauteeing

1/2 pound farfalle or other shaped pasta, cooked and rinsed in cool water

1 package of Target's Simply Balanced Miso Mushroom Meatless Turkey, prepared with the sauce set aside

1 14oz can quartered artichoke hearts

1 cup peas

5-6 oz fresh spinach

splash of white wine 

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup walnuts

2 slices bread, toasted and ripped up

1 tbsp nutritional yeast 

pinch salt

Heat oven to 375°.

In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil. Cook the veggies and garlic until soft. Add spinach, splash of wine, and cook until the spinach is wilted. Combine sauteed veggies with the peas, pasta, turkey, artichoke hearts, sauce packets, and thyme. Stir in sour cream until well distributed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dump into a casserole dish.

In a blender, grind up the ripped up toast, walnuts, nooch, and salt. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust starts to turn brown. Let sit for about five minutes, and serve.

  

Just under the wire.

For Friday, your recipe must include at least two of the following ingredients: radish root, scallions, and mozzarella.

I had to work second shift today, so I planned to make this before work. Unfortunately, I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I slept until the last possible minute. I knew I'd be scrambling to make this tonight, when I'm all tired and gross from work, but man. My bed was so awesome this morning/afternoon.

Luckily, I did have a pizza crust ready to go. I wanted to do a pizza, and I had a little hunk of daikon, so I thought I'd see what happened if I made a Thai pizza with spicy peanut sauce instead of marinara.

Before the cheese.

Before the oven.

Thai Chick'n Pizza

makes one extra large pizza

1 pizza crust, rolled out in a pan or use a pizza stone (dust lightly with cornmeal). I used a BIG crust. Too big. I had to squish it into the oven.

1 recipe spicy peanut sauce (see below)

1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings

1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced

5 green onions, trimmed and sliced

1 small daikon radish (the one I had was about five inches), cut into matchsticks

10 or so pieces of Beyond Meat chick'n, or whatever vegan chick'n you like (about a cup and a half)

1 package Daiya mozzarella (or two cups of your favorite vegan mozz, shredded)

1 cup bean sprouts

handful of dry roasted peanuts

cilantro to garnish

Spicy Peanut Sauce

makes about two cups

3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I prefer chunky, but whatever you like), heated for a minute in the microwave

1 cup full fat coconut milk

splash of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

1 tsp minced garlic

pinch sugar

sriracha or Thai chili and garlic paste to taste

Mix all that up.

Heat oven to 400°. Spread the peanut sauce over your rolled out dough. Arrange veggies and chick'n on the pizza. Cover with cheese, bean sprouts, and peanuts. Bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

 I wasn't lying about my tiny oven. Notice the side there? That's where the squishing happened.

 

Goodbye, summer.

For Thursday: use three of the following: apples, cranberries, eggplant,cream cheese.

I've been dying to make a dessert, so I obviously went with the apples, cranberries, and cream cheese. Sorry, eggplant. Another day, maybe.

I wanted to do something cheesecake-y for sure, but an apple cranberry cheesecake sounded odd. I associate apples and cranberries with crisps and crumbles; hearty and fragrant treats that go great with the chilly weather we welcomed to Minnesota this week. So, I combined the two for something that turned out a lot more elegant than I'd envisioned. Despite all the sugar, it's not too sweet.

Cranberry Apple Cheesecake Bars

makes 12 servings

Fruit layer:

2 apples (I used Fujis), peeled, cored, and diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp dried ginger

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 water

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) vegan margarine (cold)

1 Ener-G or flax egg

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Cheese layer:
8 oz tub vegan cream cheese at room temperature

3 tbsp vegan sour cream or soy yogurt

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350°, spray an 8x8 brownie pan with cooking spray.

In a saucepan, combine the ingredients for the fruit layer. Cook and stir over medium heat for about three minutes, just until it starts to bubble. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, and egg replacer. Cut in the margarine until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Scoop out about 3/4 cup of the flour mixture, fold in the chopped pecans, and set aside. Press the rest of it lightly into prepared baking pan. 

On low speed, mix the cheese layer ingredients until smooth. Spread over the crust. Top with the fruit mixture, and spread evenly. Loosely scatter the rest of the crust mixture with the pecans over the top. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes. The crust should be light golden brown. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Back of the box, someday?

For tomorrow: Your recipe must include at least three of the following ingredients: green beans, hazelnuts, mustard greens, green bell peppers, and walnuts.

So, I had a different idea using mustard greens (which I can't remember), but I guess the farm that supplies my Whole Foods had a rough season. So,  I went with the peppers, green beans, hazelnuts, and walnuts. If any of my gardening friends have some mustard greens, I'll try to scoop through my memory for that idea. I've had a million ideas since.

I totally want to make these again using red bell peppers. I wanted to for these, but rules is rules. From here on out, this is just a basic recipe to spring from with your own ideas. But, yeah. If Lundberg sees this and, I don't know... wants to put it on a box,  then it's MINE MINE MINE ALL MINE.

Stuffed Peppers
makes 6 stuffed halves

3 bell peppers, halved and scooped of seeds and white stuff (use the ones with four bumps on the bottom- also known as the females-because you can fit more stuffing in there)
1 box Lundberg's rice mix, prepared (I went with the Garlic and Basil). If you don't get this where you are, leftover seasoned rice (about two cups) should do the trick.
1 cup assorted veggies of choice, chopped (I used green beans, onion, and some frozen peas and carrots)
1/2 cup vegan sausage, browned (or favorite burger crumbles, or browned tempeh, etc), if desired
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped and toasted
2 tbsp hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
1/4 cup white wine
pepper to taste
3 tbsp shredded vegan cheese
fresh parsley

Heat oven to 375°

Assuming that you've already prepared the rice, stir in everything but the cheese. Stuff your pepper halves, top with cheese, and wrap loosely in foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Unwrap the peppers and continue baking for another 5 or so minutes, so the cheese can melt and brown a little. Remove from oven and cool for a minute before moving to plates. Garnish with a little reserved chopped toasted nuts and fresh parsley.

Beets me.

Tuesday's challenge: Use at least two of the following: walnuts, beets, and bean sprouts.

Beets. Ugh. It had to be beets. Luckily, this turned out delicious.

With Gardein meatloaf, which is also yum.

Pomegranate Glazed Roasted Vegetables with Walnuts
makes four servings 

1 medium sized golden beet (I used one a little larger than a baseball)
10-15 brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1-2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp pomegranate glaze (I got mine at Trader Joe's. If not handy, pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar would work)
2 tsp dried thyme
1/3 cup  toasted walnuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400°. Scrub the beet, but don't peel it. Rub a little olive oil on it, sprinkle with some of the thyme, wrap in foil and roast for an hour. Let cool, then peel the beet, and dice it. While the beet is cooling, toss the sprouts with the olive oil until just lightly coated, but not swimming in it. Roast in a shallow pan for 20 minutes, then toss lightly with the garlic, thyme, and the diced beet. Drizzle the glaze over the vegetables. Roast for another 10-15 minutes. Stir in the walnuts (that you just toasted yourself, riiiight?) Salt and pepper to taste.


 P.S. You ought to check out Suzie V. Homemaker's answer to this challenge. I may be a beet fan after all.

Mystery Box Day 2: Edamame Burgers

Today's challenge: Three of these four for Monday: celery, sunflower seeds, scallions, edamame.

These turned out DELICIOUS. 

Edamame Burgers with Sunflower Aioli
makes 4 large patties

2 cups frozen edamame, thawed 
1/4 cup hummus
1 tsp dried dill
dash salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
About 1 slice of bread's worth of crumbs
1 heaping tbsp golden flaxseed meal

Put all of this in the food processor, and combine until somewhat smooth. Stir in:
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron pan. Fry the patties, about 2-3 minutes each side, until golden brown. Move to paper towels, so they don't get so oily.

Aioli:
1 cup vegan mayo
zest of 1 small lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
dash salt
3 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
olive oil (maybe 2 tbsp)

Blend until totally smooth, adding a stream of olive oil until it reaches the perfect consistency. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Put whatever you want on your burger: tomato, onion, sprouts. Slather with aioli. Grub. 

Mystery MoFo!

Ok, first I'll address that I didn't post yesterday. I had spent most of the day shopping, and then went out to eat with a bunch of vegans.  I inhaled my banh mi before taking pictures. Sorry!

When I was preparing for this year's MoFo, I thought it would be fun to have a Mystery Box Challenge like they do on Master Chef. I found a website that spits out lists of random ingredients, and decided to make a week of it. It got even more exciting when Chelsea from Suzie V. Homemaker joined in!

Today's Mystery Box Challenge: Use at least two of the following ingredients: asparagus, avocado, and lima beans.

The prawns I used are from the Asian market. I just sauteed them in Earth Balance, garlic, jalapeno,  and white wine before dredging in flour and chopped macadamia nuts, and broiling for a few minutes. The real star is the salad.

Succotash Salad
makes four servings

Corn from 3 medium ears,  or two cups of frozen corn, thawed.
2 cups lima beans, fresh or frozen and thawed
1/2 lb asparagus,  trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced

Dressing:
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup packed cilantro
juice of one lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Coconut bacon (I use Fettle Vegan's recipe, or there's the Phoney Baloney stuff)

Blanch the corn, asparagus, and lima beans if using fresh.  Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, combine all of the dressing ingredients. Process until smooth and creamy. Combine with vegetables. Serve garnished with coconut bacon and cilantro.

Burrito night!

So, today is payday. But, since I had to work today, I didn't get a chance to do a thorough grocery trip.  I was planning to make something out of my new Non -Dairy Evolution cookbook, but apparently soy lecithin and lactic acid powder aren't readily available in town. Making my own vegan buttermilk, butter, and creme fraiche will have to wait.

So, that leaves what I did grab at the store, which was some Beyond Meat chick'n strips and some Daiya cheddar shreds.  When I got home from work at 10:45pm, my brain could only come up with burritos.

Another super easy lunch or dinner.  All you need is some warmed refried beans or black beans, tortillas, some  vegan meats if you'd like,  leftover rice, and some sauteed onion.

Top with lettuce, vegan cheese, and salsa. Maybe some avocado and Tofutti sour cream if you have some.

Roll it up, and stuff it in your face!

Cheap and Good Bacteria

It's been a rough couple of years for vegan yogurt. First, Whole Soy & Co shut down production as they built a new facility. Wildwood disappeared from shelves locally, without so much as a goodbye. So Delicious released a coconut yogurt,  but it was sweetened.  Whole Soy came back, and after a few gritty batches, became a luxury purchase at $1.99 a serving. Also, still no unsweetened plain. I assumed I'd never be able to make my sweet potato chili again. Then,  Chelsea over at Suzie V. Homemaker told me how easy it was to make my own.

I ordered a yogurt machine online (the EuroCuisine one was a steal at $14.95), a box of vegan yogurt starter (I ordered this one, and now they've started carrying it at Whole Foods), and headed to Trader Joe's for soy milk. I read that it was best to use soy milk with very little added to it; especially without carageenan, because it may hinder the culture process.  Westsoy soy milks are purely soy beans and water, and maybe vanilla. The Trader Joe's brand organic, plain, unsweetened soy milk is the same, and a steal at $1.69 for a quart in an aseptic box. I got one of those, and a quart of Westsoy vanilla.

I did entirely too much work for my first batch;  heating the milk, cooling it, whisking in the starter, and finally breaking my candy thermometer. Then Chelsea pointed out that I could skip the heating part, since the milk was in the aseptic container. Also, no cornstarch, agar, pectin, etc was needed to thicken. A good 8-10 hours in the yogurt machine made seven little jars of soygurt, for a fraction of what it would cost to buy it already made.  Once the jars are cooled, mix in fruit, maple syrup, lemon juice,  or whatever you like in your yogurt.  Use plain for recipes, dressings, and vegan cheeses.

Vegan MoFo week one: What a Broke Ass Vegan Eats

All I can say in regard to this post is, next year, I'll be more prepared. I'm down to what's left in the house that I can fix fairly quickly since I've been running around all day and I'm HUNGRY.  Everything left in the pantry requires more time than I'm willing to wait, so tonight it's Gardein chick'n sliders with barbecue sauce, green beans, salad, and mashed potatoes with some Daiya cream cheese and rosemary.  I can't wait to get paid.

Let's do it!

Alright alright alright. Another MoFo is upon us. I'm actually going to try to make it through this one, even though I'm out of vacation time, money, and motivation. Yeah!

I was going to post a cheap and easy recipe tonight to kick off Broke Ass Vegan week, but then today happened, and I'm completely dead. Eight and a half hour shift on the first of the month, my feet hurt, and for some reason, my apartment is about 110°. A simple yet elegant pasta dish was quickly demoted to a bowl of Special K Chocolatey Almond,  but I'll be lucky if I can get it together for more than a couple caramel apple Oreos and a Wild Turkey on the rocks.

Happy Vegan MoFo, y'all. Tomorrow won't suck, I promise.

Alla Helgons Dag

Swedish meatballs are something my mother never made from scratch, but we ate a lot of it, thanks to Stouffer's. I sure did love that crap, and didn't realize how much I missed that flavor until I started thinking about recipes for this week.

Swedish Meatballs have a LOT of ingredients going on, but with some shortcuts and Trader Joe's, I was able to pare it down. Lingonberry preserves are missing from this; you are welcome to add them if you'd like, but the only jar I could find was at The Wedge, and that shit cost more than I had in my account. Also, since the meatless meatballs from TJ's are already chock full of bread crumbs, we can skip the whole soaking bread in milk and adding it to the meat part. Blech. So glad I'm vegan. I don't miss that kind of prep work AT ALL.


This wasn't my favorite shot, but I'm using it because if you squint, you can see some cuddlin' felines in the upper left.

Swedish Meatlessballs
makes 5 servings

1 large onion, finely chopped
8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
2 1/2-3 cups hot vegan beef broth (I used 2 Edward & Sons Not-Beef cubes dissolved in boiling water), mixed with a tsp of gravy browner (I picked up some Kitchen Bouquet gravy browner at the supermarket, and it has helped my beef-y recipes out a TON. Totally optional, though)
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 16-oz package meatless meatballs (if you don't have a Trader Joe's, I've seen other brands at the co-op, as well as Whole Foods)
splash wine
2 tbsp pickle juice
6 oz (about half a tub) vegan sour cream
2-3 tbsp fresh minced parsley
mashed potatoes or noodles to serve, if desired

Spray a large, deep skillet with cooking spray or heat a tbsp olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms, and cook until soft. Add a splash of wine to deglaze. Whisk cornstarch into 2 cups broth until dissolved, and add to the pan. Stir, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and cook until gravy thickens. Throw in the meatballs.  Stir, turning the meatballs over until they are heated through. Add more broth if needed. Push the meatballs over to one side of the pan, and stir the sour cream and pickle juice into the gravy. Mix well, and then incorporate the meatballs and remainder of the gravy. Throw in parsley, combine, and serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or by themselves. 

Don't forget Swedish Fish for dessert!

First, get a bag of hashbrowns.

I was at Trader Joe's yesterday, looking around at everything, and trying to find ideas. Even with bags of fire roasted peppers and onions, I was still over five ingredients when I came up with stuff. Then I found the answer to all my prayers:



There's a reason this stuff shows up in more than one dish at church potlucks. You can do so much with it! Maybe it's the Minnesota in me, but I suddenly had ideas for all kinds of hot dishes.



 Southwestern Hashbrown Hotdish
makes 6-8 servings
 
1 20-oz bag hash brown potatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups salsa
8 oz frozen peppers and onions
1 cup Daiya cheddar shreds, or pepperjack shreds

Preheat oven to 400°

Spray a large cast iron skillet or 9x9 roasting pan with cooking spray. Pour half the bag of hashbrowns in there, and spread them around. Mix the black beans and salsa.  Spread half the bean mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Spread the rest of the bean mixture over that, another layer of potatoes, and top with cheese. Bake for 45 minutes, then put under a broiler for ten minutes if the potatoes aren't fully browned.

Italian style:
Instead of black beans and salsa, use seitan or tempeh sausage crumbles and marinara sauce. Use vegan mozzarella cheese.

Breakfast casserole:
Scramble up some tofu with the veggies and layer it in with cheeze and tempeh bacon.

Indian style:
For the veggie layer, use frozen peas and carrots. Throw in some chicken seitan and coconut milk and season with curry powder.

Sheri, Sandy, and Sausage.

Today can suck it.

I just found out less than an hour ago that a friend of mine that has been fighting cancer for the last three years is now bracing for what could possibly be the final battle. She is a beautiful, fiery, redheaded vegan with a loving husband and three beautiful children. It's not fair that she has to go through this. You can read her cancer updates here, and please, show her some support!


Sheri loves turtles, so this little guy is here for hugs. Little, gentle hugs.

I'm also stressed out over what's happening out east with the hurricane. My thoughts are with all of my friends that live in the affected areas. I wish I could beam you here right now! Nothing happens here on the prairie.

Because today sucks, I'm glad that I made this last night, so I don't have to bother cooking tonight. I just want to read, drink wine, and check updates. Also, they turned on the heat in my building tonight, and it feels like friggin' Phoenix in here.



Spicy Sausage & Pepper Pasta
serves 4

8 oz whole wheat pasta of choice
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tube Gimme Lean sausage (or a package of Upton's Naturals Italian sausage seitan, or a cup of whatever vegan sausage you like)
8 oz frozen mixed peppers and onions
splash red wine
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded Daiya mozzarella (or other vegan mozzarella)
dash chile pepper flakes


Start cooking the pasta.
In a hot skillet, heat the oil. Tear up the sausage into bite sized chunks, and add to the pan. Cook and stir for about three minutes, using  your spoon to break up the pieces. When it starts to brown, add the frozen veggies. Cook until the veggies start to get crispy around the edges, and the sausage has turned golden brown. Add the wine, and scrape up any browned bits. Cook until the wine has evaporated, and turn off the heat. Stir in spinach and cheeze. Season with chile pepper flakes (I used about a tsp). When the spinach is wilty and the cheeze is melty, toss the whole thing with the hot, cooked pasta.

Cheezy Apple Roll-ups

This is a recipe that you'd find in one of those housewife magazines. I have friends that feel they need to confess because they occasionally buy Real Simple. Seriously? I'll see your Real Simple, and raise you a Taste of Home, Southern Living, and Woman's goddamn Day. I love those things. Maybe it's the Minnesotan in me that was fascinated with Grandma's baking off the back of the box, but those rags are great for fun ideas. This is a good one for kids, a football appetizer, or to have on the side with a bowl of one of the soups I made this month.

This reminds me of apple pie with a slice of cheese on it, which is SO GOOD. 



Cheezy Apple Roll-ups
makes 8

1 tube Pillsbury Crescent dough (it's vegan!)
1/4 recipe sharp cheddar from Artisan Vegan Cheese, before it's firmed up, or 3/4 cup Daiya cheddar shreds, or whatever vegan cheddar cheese you like
1 apple, cored and finely diced
1 tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the margarine. Sprinkle the diced apple with cinnamon, and cook over medium heat until golden. Set aside.
Roll out the Crescent dough, and separate. Spread cheeze on each triangle, and dot with apple bits. Roll up from the wide end, as shown.




This picture blows, but you get the idea.

 Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for a few minutes, and serve.