Archives for posts with tag: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Chocolate Jesus

June 12, 2010 //
0

I was planning on posting the recipe for a vegan lemon cheesecake that I made the other night, but I forgot to take a picture of it before we gobbled up the last piece. The recipe is from The Joy of Vegan Baking, and trust me, it rocks. Must remember to take pictures before inhaling cheesecake!

But in the meantime, enjoy this video of Tom Waits. Just be sure to check it out before the embedding gets disabled like the Pixies video I posted on here (damn you, brian9999, or whoever you are!), which you can still watch directly on YouTube.

I hope you’re having a great weekend so far!

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Categories music, vegan

Beans, Greens, and Cornbread

June 2, 2010 //
0

Okay, bear with me here. This meal is as basic as it gets. I’m still trying to get used to my kitchen, so I needed something that I could throw together very easily. Plus, it’s very healthy and budget-friendly. It’s one of my go-to meals when we’re light on the funds.

For the beans, I typically use a mix of pinto and kidney beans with a dash of liquid smoke, but in this case, I had a can of vegetarian baked beans that needed to be used. It doesn’t get any easier that that.

For the greens, I used a single bunch of kale that was rinsed and thrown (without draining) into a large pot to steam. I added a dash of salt and pepper and finished them off with a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar.

For the cornbread, I used a recipe that I adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking, an absolute must-have for any new vegan cook. It’s my vegan baking bible.

(And I apologize for the lack of pictures. I’m also trying to find the best source of light in my kitchen for taking pictures. And since I’m not much of a photographer, my pictures are turning out a bit blurry. Must consult my photographer friend and neighbor downstairs….)

Cornbread

Ingredients:

1½ cups non-dairy milk

1 ½  tbsp distilled white vinegar

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 tbsp granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar, and set aside.

Mix the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl.

Add the oil to the milk and vinegar mixture, and stir into the dry ingredients until just blended. Pour the batter into a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Banana Walnut Pancakes

April 26, 2010 //
1

Pancakes. Easy, right?

Don’t laugh, but as someone who was raised on boxed and canned food, I thought for sure that making pancakes from scratch took a lot of time and effort. I mean, there had to be a reason why my mom looked to Bisquick every Saturday morning to make our breakfast, but nope.

Going vegan meant that I had to start making a lot of things from scratch, so when it came time to make pancakes, I was surprised at just how easy they were to make.

The recipe that I use to make basic pancakes is taken from The Joy of Vegan Baking. For my latest batch, I added chopped walnuts and bananas on top. I’ve also had success with incorporating blueberries and bananas into the batter.

Banana Walnut Pancakes

Yield: 8 to 10 pancakes

Ingredients:

½ cup all-purpose and ½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 cup non-dairy milk

2 tbsp canola oil or non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, melted

3 tbsp liquid sweetener, such as pure maple syrup, apple juice concentrate, orange juice, or agave nectar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 banana, chopped

Maple syrup

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, and sweetener. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until moistened.

Heat a nonstick griddle or sauté pan over a medium-high flame. Pour the batter onto the griddle to form circles about 4 inches in diameter. Cook the pancakes on one side for a couple of minutes until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side for another 2 minutes. Continue until golden brown on each side.

Top with the chopped walnuts and bananas, and drizzle with the maple syrup.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Vegan Fish Fry

April 22, 2010 //
4

I came across this yummy recipe on one of my new favorite blogs, The Vision Quest of Life.  If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you take a look. Wendy has tons of insightful and informative posts on veganism, including some awesome recipes. Her blog makes me want to be a better vegan.

These Herbed Tofu Filets turned out even better than I had hoped, and they were actually pretty easy to make. The panko breading was golden and crunchy and delicious. I made my own coleslaw, which is extremely easy and leaves a lot of room for experimentation.

The next time I make the filets, I’m going to make a side of mac and cheeze to round out the meal. Oh, and hush puppies. You can’t have a fish fry without hush puppies, right?

You can find the recipe for the Herbed Tofu Filets and tartar sauce on The Vision Quest of Life, but I’ve posted my coleslaw recipe below:

Easy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

Half a head of green or red cabbage, sliced thinly or shredded

2 large carrots, shredded

¼ cup Vegenaise

2 tbsp plain soy or almond milk

Juice from ½ a lemon

½ tsp mustard powder

2 tsp dill

2 tsp agave nectar (optional—I like a little sweetness to my coleslaw)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add the shredded cabbage and carrots to a large bowl.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and add it to the cabbage and carrots. Chill the coleslaw for at least 30 minutes.

Serve on the side with your tofu filets and tartar sauce.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

My Vegan Cookbook Arsenal

April 5, 2010 //
6

As much I would like to take credit for the yummy recipes that I post on here, my inspiration comes from an arsenal of vegan cookbooks, magazines, and blogs that are filled with amazing food.

Below is a list of my collection of vegan cookbooks, along with my favorite recipes from each, and recipes that I can’t wait to try next.

Veganomicon

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

This cookbook was my first introduction to vegan cooking. It showed me just how delicious vegan food could be. Some of the recipes are a bit time-consuming, but so worth it.

Favorite Recipes: Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Carmelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping, Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits, Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream, Potato and Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chile Sauce, Chickpea Cutlets

Can’t Wait to Try: Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empanadas

The Joy of Vegan Baking

By Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

This cookbook is a must-have for any aspiring vegan. It has absolutely everything you need to know about vegan baking and then some. The recipes are endless and delicious.

Favorite Recipes: Lemon Cheesecake, Jam-Filled Oat Bran Muffins, No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Chocolate Cake, Cornbread, Pancakes, Mulled Cider, Hot Chocolate (I could go on and on.)

Can’t Wait to Try: No-Bake Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Chunks

Vegan with a Vengeance

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz

I haven’t cooked as much out of this cookbook as much as the others (and I’m not sure why), but the few recipes that I’ve made have been delicious.

Favorite Recipes: Tofu Dill Salad Sammiches, Tempeh Reuben, Mushroom and Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto, Brooklyn Pad Thai

Can’t Wait to Try: Green Thai Curry

Vegan Yum Yum

By Lauren Ulm

If you’re just getting into veganism (or even if you’ve been a vegan for a while), I highly recommend you buy this cookbook first. The book and her website are my favorite sources for recipes. I love her flavor combinations, and her recipes are easy and for the most part, budget-friendly.

Favorite Recipes: Mac and Cheeze (the best I’ve ever had), Black Bean Soup, Sweet Chili Lime Tofu, Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl, Red and White Cauliflower Bake, Italian Rice and Beans, Creamy Mushroom Broccoli Bake, Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries

Can’t Wait to Try: Gnocchi with Thyme Vinaigrette and Lemon Cashew Cream

Vegan Brunch

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz

I’ve only made a few recipes from this cookbook, but that’s only because I don’t do brunch all that often. This is the book I use to make my breakfast scramble. Sooo good!!

Favorite Recipes: Basic Scrambled Tofu, Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins, Herbed Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

Can’t Wait to Try: Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

This cookbook is filled with vegan cupcake recipes. Need I say more? But this is a fairly recent addition to my cookbook collection, so I’ve only made a few recipes from it. All have been easy to make and delicious.

Favorite Recipes: Banana Split Cupcakes, Brooklyn vs. Boston Cream Pie Cakes, Your Basic Chocolate Cupcakes, Golden Vanilla Cupcakes

Can’t Wait to Try: Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

This is also a recent addition to my collection, but I’m already sold. As much as I love the cookie recipes from The Joy of Vegan Baking, this has the best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, in my opinion.

Favorite Recipes: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Can’t Wait to Try: Caramel Pecan Bars

If you have any recipe or cookbook recommendations, I’d love to hear them!!!

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Categories food, vegan

The Leftover Queen

March 26, 2010 //
1

Here’s the thing: I love to cook, but I don’t always have the time or money to whip up a new meal every single night. If I have a work deadline approaching, I can’t always take an hour or two to cook and then clean the kitchen. And with my husband going back to school, and both of us changing jobs, we’re on a pretty tight budget this year. That’s why I look for recipes that will give us leftovers to eat off of for a few days.

This week, I decided to make a big ol’ pot of vegetable soup to cover a few dinners, and jam-filled oat muffins to cover breakfast for a few days. Both are incredibly easy to make and budget-friendly.

As far as vegetable soup is concerned, I don’t follow any particular recipe. I like to use vegetable soup as an opportunity to clean out my refrigerator. I happened to have some celery, carrots, and cabbage in the fridge, so I threw those in the pot with some potatoes and other frozen veggies. But you can add whatever you like. I don’t typically measure anything when I make my soup, so the measurements below are approximations. This will serve two people for at least two days, and you’ll probably have extra to freeze for later.

The jam-filled muffins are taken from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (a must-have for any vegan cook). They are very hearty and perfect for the morning rush.

Vegetable Soup


Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

¾ cup chopped yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic, diced

1 cup diced red potatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen lima beans

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup sliced cabbage

1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes

2 cups tomato juice

2 cups water

2 vegetable broth cubes

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

1 ½ tsp dried thyme

1 ½ tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the rest of your ingredients and bring the soup up to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Like most soups, this will taste better the next day, but you can certainly eat it right away.

Jam-Filled Oat Bran Muffins (from The Joy of Vegan Baking)


Yield: 16 muffins*

Ingredients:

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

6 tbsp water

2 cups oat bran

1 cup unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 ¼ cups nondairy milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

½ cup strawberry (or any fruit) jam

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease your muffin tins.

In a food processor or in a bowl using an electric hand mixer, whip the flaxseed and water together until you have a thick and creamy consistency.

In a large bowl, combine the oat bran, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed mixture, milk, and oil. Stir in the walnuts, if using. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until blended.

Fill the prepared muffin cups less than half full with batter.

Place a dab of jam or preserves in the center of the cup.

Add more batter to fill the cups two-thirds full, concealing the jam.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Cool in the tins for 3 minutes, then remove to cool on a wire rack.

*I only got 12 muffins out of the recipe, but I over-filled the cups.

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Categories food, vegan
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