Sweet Potato Pie

I created this pie for my Southern Comfort Food themed dinner. I served it cold, although I'm sure it would have been yummy hot as well. 

INGREDIENTS:

~1 large deep-dish pie crust - I used a store-bought deep-dish pie crust, but if you're into making your own pie crust - go for it! 

~3 medium to large sweet potatoes

~approximately 2 tablespoons of vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)

~1/2 cup (regular) soy milk

~1/2 cup maple syrup

~2 tsp vanilla

~2 to 4 tsp brandy (bourbon would work too) - This item is optional and should be added according to your own taste buds.

~1 tsp cinnamon 

~1/2 tsp sea salt

~1/4 tsp ground ginger

~1/4 tsp nutmeg

~Agave syrup - This item is optional and can be added to make the pie sweeter. Add a little at a time until you get the desired sweetness. 

~Whole pecans for garnish (optional)

PRE-HEAT OVEN: 375 degrees

STEP ONE: 

Cook sweet potatoes 

I cooked mine in the microwave to reduce prep time, but you can steam or bake them.

STEP TWO:

In a large mixing bowl, mash sweet potatoes (remove skins) with vegan margarine and soy milk. Mix in maple syrup, vanilla, brandy, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg and agave syrup. 

STEP THREE:

Pour mixture into pie crust. Garnish with pecans (I put pecans in a circle around the outer rim of the pie and another circle of pecans within the center of the pie. 

STEP FOUR:

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes and cool on a rack before serving. 

I served this as a side dish, but it could also be served as a dessert. I didn't make mine too sweet, so it complimented the food well. A sweeter version would be great after dinner with coffee. 

BBQ Pulled Seitan

For my dinner parties, I typically come up with a theme and cook within it. My last dinner party was centered around Southern Comfort Food. Here are some of the dishes I created and served:

~Sweet Potato Pie

~Pan Fried "Chicken" (created from homemade seitan)

~Collard Greens, Sweet Corn and Black Eyed Peas cooked in southern spices

~Cornbread

~Potato, Leek, Corn and Black Bean Chowder (clear broth)

~BBQ Pulled Seitan over Brown Rice

My BBQ Pulled Seitan creation was the wild card of the evening and it turned out to be the most popular dish served. Although time consuming, it was well worth it. This dish took two days to make due to preparation, cooking, marinating and simmering time. This dish was created in total improvisation, but through the same ingredients I think a tasty variation of this is in your future.

There are several steps involved, but don't get intimidated. These steps are all pretty easy.

STEP ONE: MAKE SEITAN

PRE-HEAT OVEN: 350 degrees

In a food processor (with bread mixer blade) mix the following until it forms a dough (approx. 6 minutes).  ~~~~If you don't own a food processor, then mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and blend the wet ingredients in another. Then combine the wet and the dry and mix and knead until dough is formed.

MIX THE FOLLOWING:

Dry Ingredients:

~1 cup vital wheat gluten*

~1/4 cup garbanzo flour (or soy flour)

~3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

~2 tsp onion powder

~ 1 tsp roasted garlic powder (or regular garlic powder)

~2 tsp paprika 

Wet Ingredients:

~ 3/4 cup water

~ 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

~ 1 tsp liquid smoke

~ 2 tablespoons tahini

In an 8x8 baking dish (lined with parchment paper) - press out your dough until it takes up most of the pan. Next do the following

• Bake in oven for 20 minutes uncovered.
• Remove from oven, with a basting brush apply BBQ-Sauce**
• Return to oven for approx. 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven, flip seitan and apply BBQ-Sauce.
• Return to oven for approx. 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool.

STEP TWO: MARINADE

After the seitan has cooled, take two big forks and pull/shred the seitan into little pieces. A combination of bigger pieces with stringy smaller ones is perfect.

In a lidded container mix up the marinade (add a little of each, for spicy sauce add more hot sauce, for sweeter sauce add more maple syrup, for tangy sauce add more BBQ-Sauce):

Maple syrup
BBQ-Sauce
Hot Sauce
liquid smoke
Mesquite Spice Blend (or BBQ blend spices)
Organic Blue Agave (optional)***
Ground Pepper

Then add the seitan and mix thoroughly so that the seitan is perfectly covered with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate. Shake up the seitan and marinade once in a while. If possible, marinade for at least 24 hours. 

STEP THREE: COOKING PULLED-SEITAN

In a frying pan saute in olive oil:

~1 large purple onion or sweet onion (chopped into small pieces) 

Once the onion is soft add:

~1 large spoonful of crushed garlic
~1 large or 2 small red bell peppers (chopped into small pieces)
~The marinated seitan

Cook until thoroughly hot.

In a mixing bowl combine the following (add a little of each, for spicy sauce add more hot sauce, for sweeter sauce add more maple syrup, for tangy sauce add more BBQ-Sauce and ketchup):

BBQ Sauce
Maple Syrup
Organic Ketchup****
Tamari or Soy Sauce
Organic Blue Agave (optional)
Water (one cup or more, depending on how saucy you want it)
Gravy thickener (add enough for the amount of water added)
Mesquite spices***** 
Ground Black Pepper

In a medium sized crock-pot scoop in the seitan mixture, then add the liquid, then another layer of the mixture and more liquid. Repeat until all the contents are in the crock-pot. Cook on low heat for a few hours. ~~~~If you don't have a crock-pot then simmer in large saucepan on low heat for an hour or so. 

STEP FOUR: EAT

Serve over brown rice. Collard greens makes a good side dish. 

SHOPPING TIPS:

*I typically use Bob's Red Mill's vital wheat gluten, but you can also buy this in bulk at places like WinCo and it is WAY cheaper. 

**I love Trader Joe's Kansas City BBQ sauce. It has a great taste and it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup. 

***Agave syrup can add sweetness to nearly any recipe and is a good substitute for honey. I get it at Trader Joe's and it's pretty cheap. 

****I love Trader Joe's Organic Ketchup. It has only a few ingredients and doesn't contain any high fructose corn syrup. 

*****Costco has killer deals on spices. I got a great blend of organic mesquite spices and it was super huge and cheap. 

Thanksgiving Feast: Vegan stuffing

I hosted a vegan Thanksgiving at my house this year. There were 13 people total and a large variety of dishes. Unfortunately, I was so caught up with cooking and serving that I forgot to take pictures of the food (once again). My guests brought food as well, but this is what I prepared: 

Cornbread****

Sweet potato biscuits with cranberry spread

Shiitake gravy

Stuffing with apples, dried cranberries, mushrooms, pecans, walnuts and pineapple**

Seitan roast*

Zesty corn pudding

Herb, matzo and panko encrusted tofu cutlets

Cranberry sauce with apples and pecans

Pumpkin soup with curry, ginger and coconut milk

Brandy spiked-spiced hot apple cider

*I found an awesome recipe for a seitan roast. It turned out extremely soft and my meat-eating guests were very pleased with their turkey replacement. This seitan took many hours to prepare, but it was worth it. I made the version with tofu (not beans) and when I re-heated it I made a marinade of sesame oil and a mixture of herbs and dry spices. 

**VEGAN STUFFING: 

In a skillet, saute the following with olive oil until soft: 

- 2 handfuls of sliced mushrooms

- 2 celery stalks finely chopped

In a large mixing bowl add the following: 

- 10 ounces of herb flavored breadcrumbs***

-2 scallions finely chopped

-1 handful pecans finely copped

-1 handful walnuts finely chopped

-1 large can of pineapple (pour juice in bowl, chop pineapple if in large chunks)

-1 handful of dried cranberries

- 1 large apple chopped into little pieces (I always leave the skin on the apple)

-the sautéed mushrooms and celery

-1 cup of faux chicken stock 

-3 teaspoons of sesame oil

Mix thoroughly. If mixture isn't wet enough, add more stock. Place stuffing in baking dish and cover. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. Uncover after 15-20 minutes. Bake until top is crunchy but not dried out. 

***I don't like making my own bread crumbs. If you're like me, you've probably hunted high and low for vegan breadcrumbs. I found some at my local grocery store by Arrowhead Mills, however they only started carrying them days before the holiday. 

****I LOVE Trader Joe's cornbread mix. Instead of eggs, I use flaxseed meal that's whipped with water and I sub the milk for soy milk. Quick, easy and tastes really yummy. 

Spinach and Beet Salad with an Asian Twist

My husband and I have decided that we need to eat more salads. I pack our lunches for work, so in the morning I'm pressed for time to be creative with our salad and have enough time to chop the veggies. I've always been grossed out by salad dressing and generally opt out. However, as I've been creating these salads in the morning, I've also concocted homemade dressings to compliment their flavor.

I've made various versions of this salad, so you can be creative with your ingredients too.

Key Ingredients

~Fresh spinach leaves*

~Sliced or quartered beets** (pre-cooked and cold)

Optional Ingredients (all, some or none)

~Cucumber (chopped into bite size pieces)

~Red Bell Pepper (chopped into bite size pieces)

~Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

~Dried cranberries

~Toasted sesame seeds

~Seaweed Flakes***

~Slices of cooked tofu or tempeh

~Cashews

~Wasabi Peas

Dressing

--Add ingredients in a small mixing bowl or a large measuring cup.

--Whisk ingredients together until it becomes a smooth liquid.

--Keep in mind that dressing adds unwanted calories and fat to your salad so don't go crazy with it. Try to limit yourself to 3 spoonfuls.

~Rice wine vinegar

~Crushed ginger****

~Sesame oil (this stuff adds a ton of flavor, but a lot of fat/calories too - use sparingly)

~Sweet chili sauce (this stuff is full of sugar, so go light on it - you can use either the red or orange chili sauce)

~Miso paste (Miso is salty, so don't go nuts with it - this ingredient is optional)

~Red pepper flakes (optional for extra spice)

Tips

*To prepare your salads faster, buy spinach that is pre-washed

**Check your supermarket for pre-cooked beets that are vacuum sealed. Trader Joe's sells these and they're an awesome deal. Otherwise, cook your beets ahead of time and refrigerate.

***Seaweed flakes come plain or mixed with other things such as sesame seeds and/or wasabi, etc. Asian markets typically carry a variety.

****For fast use, buy a container of crushed ginger. It is extremely handy and can be used in a wide variety of dishes.

Edible (Buckwheat) Vegan Brains

I finally found some clear pics of the table/food from my vegan cult movie party. Since it's almost Halloween, I thought these would be fun to share.

One of my favorite dishes I made for the party was edible brains. 

I cooked buckwheat noodles (rinse them under cold water) then tossed them in a marinade (soy sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, finally chopped scallions, garlic, ginger, etc).* Then I put the noodles into a brain jello-mold (spray light coat of oil for easy removal). I let this chill in the fridge for several hours. The brain popped out and held its shape. It looked pretty disgustingly real.

*For marinade, I typically use around 1 tablespoon agave, 2 teaspoons of chili sauce, 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, a few shakes of hot chili oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp of ginger, 1 tsp garlic powder, a few shakes of sesame seeds and a couple of scallions finely chopped. This is really approximate, as I usually make my marinades from scratch and just throw stuff in a bowl and taste as I go.

Soul Soup

I LOVE soul food. The other day I was craving soup AND soul food. I put together a list of ingredients that I thought would satisfy my hunger and the result was spicy, yummy and full of soul. This was about a week ago, so I'm going to try to remember exactly what I did. 

First I roasted some garlic as I prepared the rest. 

In a large soup pot: 

-Saute 1 small sweet onion (cut into chunks) w/ some olive oil

Once the onions start to become translucent add: 

- Two or three hot pepper (remove seeds, cut in half)

-Add a couple of cups of chopped greens (I used a combo of mustard and collard. TIP: Trader Joe's sells a mixture of these greens already cut and washed)

Once  the greens are soft remove from heat. 

In a food processor blend the following: 

- 1/2 can of black-eyed peas (put the rest aside)

- 1 can diced tomatoes

-A teaspoon or so of tamari

-The contents from the soup pot

-Ground pepper to taste

-Cayenne pepper to taste

-Paprika to taste

-Cajun spice-blend to taste

Put the blended ingredients into the soup pot, add the following on medium heat: 

-The remaining black-eyed peas

-One can of black beans (no need to drain them)

- One can of vegetable broth

- 1/2 bag of frozen sweet corn

-2 to 3 bulbs of roasted garlic (Remove the garlic from the bulbs and either add chunks of garlic or mush the pieces first. If you don't want chunks of garlic in your soup, you can add the garlic in the blending phase.)

Adjust spice, pepper and salt to taste. This soup is packed with spice and garlic. If that's not your thing, either cut down or eliminate those ingredients. 

Cook until thoroughly heated. 

NOTE: I've made several variations of this soup. Here is a version with a clear broth, red beans, potatoes, corn and collard greens. 

Tempeh Enchilasagna

I enjoy eating enchiladas, but making them can be really time consuming. I came up with a fast way to enjoy the flavors of an enchilada, but baked like a lasagna. This version is super simple and doesn't take very long to prep. 

Heat oven to 350 - 375 degrees

Here's what you'll need: 

~ 1 large, deep skillet

~ 1 large baking pan (rectangular, lasagna type)

~1 large can of vegan enchilada sauce 

~ 1 pack of small corn tortillas

~ 1 pack of tempeh (crumble or chop into little pieces)

~ 1 sweet onion (chopped)

~ 1 red bell-pepper (chopped)

~ (optional) 1 to 3 fresh hot peppers to taste (I like to use 1 red, yellow and orange to add more color)

~1/3 bag of frozen sweet corn

~ 1 can of black beans (remove liquid)

~ 1/2 block vegan cheddar cheese (shredded)

In your skillet, saute (with a little oil):

~ 1st: add onions (you want these to get soft and brown)

~ 2nd: as the onions are getting soft add the tempeh, red pepper, hot peppers and frozen corn

~ 3rd: To give it flavor you can use all or some of these: taco seasoning, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, chipotle sauce, cayenne pepper, habanero powder, black pepper, crushed or roasted garlic, salsa

~ 4th: add black beans - stir thoroughly and remove from heat. 

In your baking dish:

~1st: Pour in a little less than 1/4 a can of enchilada sauce. You want just enough sauce to coat the pan with a small layer of sauce.

~2nd: Make a layer with the corn tortillas. No need to overlap, just rip them into 1/2 or 1/4 pieces to allow full coverage. 

~3rd: Pour in 1/2 the contents from skillet, making a nice layer. 

~4th: Make another layer of tortillas.

~5th: Pour a layer of enchilada sauce, covering the tortillas. Use around a 1/4 to 1/3 of can. 

~6th: Add another layer of the skillet contents. If you want the enchiladas really cheesy, add a layer of shredded vegan cheddar cheese.

~7th: Add another layer of the tortillas, cover with the remaining sauce and add shredded cheese. 

Bake around 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your oven). 

TIPS: Serve topped with a dollop of vegan sour cream and guacamole. It tastes great with a side salad topped with salsa, guacamole and a few blue corn chips.