Archives for posts with tag: Vegan Yum Yum

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

August 11, 2010 //
0

I love stir-fry because it’s so versatile and it’s a great way to use up extra veggies. For this recipe, I used Lauren Ulm’s sweet and sour sauce recipe from Vegan Yum Yum. To it, I added fried tofu, shelled edamame, broccoli, and red and yellow peppers.

Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cups cooked brown rice (2 cups uncooked)

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 yellow pepper, cut into large pieces

1 red pepper, cut into large pieces

1 cup shelled, frozen edamame

2 cups broccoli

Double recipe of sweet and sour sauce

Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Cook the rice according to the directions. Mix together the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce and set aside. Add the oil to a wok or non-stick skillet set to medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up, add your tofu and stir constantly until browned on all sides. Add the shelled edamame to the tofu and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the veggies until stir for a couple more minutes. Add the sauce mixture to the pan and stir until it thickens. As soon as the sauce thickens to coat the veggies, take off the heat. Serve immediately over the cooked rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles

July 17, 2010 //
0

This is yet another awesome dish from Vegan Yum Yum. My wonderful friend and downstairs neighbor, Erin, made this for us for dinner a few weeks ago, and served it with bowl of homemade gazpacho. It was the perfect meal for a hot, summer evening.

Instead of posting the recipe here, I’m going to be lazy and just post the link to the recipe of Vegan Yum Yum. I’ve noticed that she (Lauren Ulm) hasn’t posted to her blog in a while, but don’t let that keep you from bookmarking it. There are tons of wonderful recipes, including some that aren’t in her cookbook.

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Categories food, vegan

Vegetable Fried Rice

June 18, 2010 //
2

I love Chinese takeout. I love the flavors, the chopsticks, the cute little boxes, and the overall convenience of it. But more often than not, I walk away feeling kind of gross and regretful after eating a plateful of vegetable lo mein and fried rice from our local Chinese restaurant. When I make my own Asian-inspired food at home, not only is it healthier, but I actually think it tastes better than takeout.

This recipe is loosely based on the one in the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook; I modified it quite a bit. It’s not authentic by any means, but it was a great way to use up some veggies that I had on-hand; hence the Brussels sprouts. There’s a lot of room for experimentation here. Also, you can use any kind of deep pan for this dish, but I finally broke down and purchased a wok. And let me tell you, it makes cooking this dish, and any other kind of stir-fry dishes, much easier.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Serves 6

Ingredients:


4 cups cooked brown rice

¼ cup toasted sesame oil

1 14oz package of extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into ¾-inch cubes

2 cups chopped broccoli

3/4 cup Brussels sprouts, cut in half length-wise

½ cup carrots, sliced

¾ cup button mushrooms, quartered

½ cup chopped red onion

½ cup low-sodium tamari, plus 2 tbsp

2 tbsp mirin

½ tsp ginger powder

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Black pepper to taste

Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

Cook the rice according to directions.

In a wok, add a tablespoon of the sesame oil to the pan and add your tofu. (Be careful, the moisture from the tofu will cause the oil to pop and splatter.) Fry your tofu until golden brown on all sides.

Mix the 2 tbsp of tamari and ½ tsp ginger powder and add the mixture to the tofu. Once the tamari mixture has been soaked up by the tofu, take the tofu out of the wok and set aside.

Add another splash of sesame oil to the pan and add the broccoli and Brussels sprouts to the wok. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for a minute more, stirring constantly. Take out of the wok and set aside.

Add yet another small splash of sesame oil to the wok and add the red onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes. Take out of the wok and set aside.

Add the last bit of sesame oil to the wok and add your cooked brown rice. Stir a few times, and then add the rest of the tamari and the mirin. Stir to coat the rice. Add the cooked tofu and veggies back to the wok and stir to incorporate. Add freshly cracked black pepper, top with sesame seeds, and serve.

I like to add a little Sriracha sauce on top for an extra kick.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Pan-Seared Tomato and Rosemary Artichoke Sandwich

June 15, 2010 //
0

This is yet another another fabulous recipe that was adapted from my favorite vegan cookbook/website, Vegan Yum Yum. It wasn’t the prettiest to photograph, but what it lacked in aesthetic, it made up for in flavor. Plus, I like any meal that only uses one pan to make.

Also, if you haven’t had a balsamic reduction, this is a great way to try it. When reduced, balsamic vinegar takes on a wonderful, syrupy, sweet, and tangy flavor that is wonderful on both sweet and savory dishes. I love to drizzle it on sliced strawberries and vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

Makes 4 sandwiches

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dried rosemary

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

2 large tomatoes, cut into thick slices

Black pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

8 slices of sourdough or multi-grain bread

Baby spinach

Directions:

Make the balsamic reduction by heating the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes. Beware: once the vinegar heats up, it releases strong vinegar fumes, so you might want to open a window, and don’t stand above it. It doesn’t smell badly; it’s just very strong.

Use a rubber spatula to stir the vinegar. When it’s done, it will start to thicken and coat the spatula. Once that happens, take immediately off the heat so that you don’t overcook it. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the artichokes, rosemary, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the artichokes start to brown a bit.

Throw the tomato slices on the pan and add a little salt and pepper. After a couple minutes, flip to the other side and cook a minute longer.

Remove both the artichokes and tomatoes from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to your pan and place your bread slices on the pan. After about a minute, flip to toast the other side.

To assemble the sandwich, place the spinach and/or basil on the bread, then add the artichokes and tomato slices. Lightly drizzle with the balsamic reduction (don’t get too carried way; it’s pretty potent stuff). Top with the other slice of bread (the pictures above and below show the sandwich open-faced).

I served my sandwich with multi-grain chips.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Mac and Cheeze

June 5, 2010 //
3

As I was taking pictures of this dish, my husband said, “I thought you already posted the mac and cheeze recipe on your blog.” And honestly, as often as I talk about the Vegan Yum Yum Mac and Cheeze recipe, I’m surprised that I haven’t posted my version on here. Lauren Ulm’s recipe really is the best version of the comfort food staple that I’ve had since becoming vegan.

Whenever I make this dish (and I make it ALL the time), I always double the cheezy sauce recipe because I like my mac and cheeze rich and creamy. And the sauce is wonderful on its own; I’ve used it to make a vegan chile con queso to pour over nachos.

As far as the pasta, I like to use whole-wheat shell pasta because it holds more of the sauce, but regular macaroni works well for all you mac and cheeze purists out there.

For the bread crumb topping, I typically throw a couple of slices of bread into my food processor and pulse a few times. You can also use store-bought bread crumbs if you don’t have a food processor or are feeling lazy. But this time around, I decided to use some panko crumbs that I had on hand. And that’s probably what I’ll use from here on out because they added an extra crunch to the dish that you just can’t get with regular bread crumbs.

So, without further ado, here is the mac and cheeze recipe:

Mac and Cheeze (adapted from Vegan Yum Yum)

Ingredients:

1 lb shell pasta or elbow macaroni (I used whole-wheat)

1 cup bread crumbs

Cheezy Sauce:

2/3 cup Earth Balance margarine

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp miso (I used red)

2 tbsp tahini

2 tbsp tomato paste

6 tbsp low-sodium tamari

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 ½ cups soy or almond milk

2/3  cup nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the pasta according to directions.

While the pasta is cooking, mix together the miso, tahini, tomato paste, tamari, and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat. As soon as the margarine is melted, add the flour and whisk until dissolved to form a roux. Whisk the miso mixture into the roux and keep stirring.

Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk constantly to avoid burning and to avoid lumps. Turn up the heat a bit and add the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. The mixture will thicken as it heats up, but continue to stir. Once it starts to boil, it should be ready.

Add the pasta to a large casserole dish and stir in the cheezy sauce.

Top with bread crumbs.

Place in the oven for about 25 minutes, with the last 2 or 3 minutes under the broiler to brown the top.

For some reason, I always like to serve my mac and cheeze with green beans and sliced tomato.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl

May 2, 2010 //
4

I love cabbage. I really do. And I never really appreciated it until I went vegan. I love cooking it until just wilted, but still with just the right amount of crunch.

This recipe, which I adapted from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook (I modified the ingredient amounts), is one of my favorites to make. It’s extremely healthy, easy to make, and requires very few ingredients, so it’s also easy on the budget.

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce block extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into squares

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cups cooked brown rice

2 carrots

5 cups shredded cabbage

3 tbsp tamarind chutney (I used a tamarind sauce that I found at an international grocery)

2 tbsp tamari

½ cup toasted, sliced almonds

Directions:

Combine the rice and carrots in a large bowl and toss well. The steam from the rice will cook the shredded carrots.

Fry the tofu in the oil until browned on both sides. Set aside.

Sauté the cabbage over high heat with a little oil until slightly softened and browned in some places.

Add the cabbage to the rice and carrots.

Make a sauce by mixing the tamarind sauce and tamari. Add the sauce and the tofu to the cabbage mixture and gently toss. Top with almonds. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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Categories Uncategorized, 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

Dinner and a Movie

April 12, 2010 //
2

In an effort to save money, my husband and I have been having date night at home. And because we’re big dorks, we’ve decided to match our meals with our movies.

This past week, we sat down to watch Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1954 action drama, Seven Samurai. And let me tell you, it’s an amazing movie. Yes, it’s long, but it’s a must-see for any fan of the cinema.

As for the food, I settled on yet another recipe from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. I know, I know, it seems like every recipe that I make is from there, but what can I say? I was looking for an Asian-inspired dish that was both cheap and delicious, and the Seven Spice Udon recipe certainly fit the bill. (Get it? Seven Samurai and Seven Spice Udon — clever, huh?)

I did have to make a separate trip to my local Asian food market to pick up the Japanese Seven Spice (also called Nanami Togarashi or Shichimi Togarashi), but the spice mixture is what makes the dish. And it’s cheap; I picked up a jar for $1.99. It’s a mixture of chili pepper, orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, Japanese pepper, ginger, and seaweed. And a bit of a warning: it packs some heat, so don’t get too carried away with it as I did when I first made the dish. It was painful.

Also, I modified the recipe a bit to include more veggies, and in doing so, I increased the tamari and vinegar amounts. I also added sesame seeds for garnish and a little more texture.

Seven Spice Udon

Ingredients:

8 to 9 ounce package of udon noodles

2 to 3 tbsp oil (I used toasted sesame oil)

10 Brussel sprouts, shredded

5 small carrots, sliced thinly

1 ¾ tsp Japanese Seven Spice

4 tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

3 tbsp brown rice vinegar

sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Cook the udon noodles according to the directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and add a little sesame oil to coat and prevent them from sticking together.

Heat half of the oil in a non-stick sauté pan and add the Brussel sprouts, carrots, and ¼ tsp of the Japanese Seven Spice to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, or until just tender. Take out and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the rest of the oil and add the cooked udon noodles. Let them cook for a few minutes over high heat until they start to form a crispy noodle pancake.

Turn the noodles and add the vegetables, tamari, rice vinegar, and remaining Seven Spice.

Top with sesame seeds and serve.

I could easily see myself craving this dish on a regular basis. I made it in about 15 minutes, which is less time than it would take to order take-out. Next time, I might also add some shelled edamame for extra crunch.

Enjoy!!

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Categories food, movies, vegan

Pepita Fettucini with Spinach and Cranberries

April 6, 2010 //
0

This is another recipe from my favorite vegan cookbook, Vegan Yum Yum. And wow — it’s a keeper. It packs in tons of flavor with very few ingredients.

I almost always find myself doubling the recipes I find in Vegan Yum Yum because 1) we’re big eaters, what can I say? And 2) I like having leftovers for the next night’s dinner.

Ingredients (doubled from the original recipe):

1lb fettucini (I used whole wheat linguini noodles)

2/3 cup raw, unsalted pepitas

2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)

1 bag of spinach

½ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs (I only had dried on-hand)

½ cup dried cranberries (I used unsweetened)

Directions:

Boil pasta according to directions. In the meantime, pulse the pepitas in a food processor or blender until chopped finely.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spinach. Coat the spinach in the hot oil, and add red pepper flakes, tamari, maple syrup, and thyme. Toss in the dried cranberries and mix well. Turn the heat to low.

Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and add the chopped pepitas. The noodles won’t look like they have much sauce on them, but they do.

Enjoy!!

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Categories food, vegan

Game Night

March 13, 2010 //
6

My husband and I are both in our thirties, but we act like we’re in our seventies. Dinner by five, bed by nine (well, no so much anymore with his new job), movie matinees, antique shopping … I could go on.

So how did we spend our Friday night? Playing games, of course. This all wasn’t spontaneous either. Oh no. We actually planned our evening earlier in the week. How’s that for excitement? We can hang with the best of the over-sixty crowd.

As we were planning our game night, the conversation quickly turned to food (which is usually the case). If you’re playing games, you’ve got to have a snack, right? And what snack goes best with an evening of Phase 10 and Yahtzee? Nachos!

This is my vegan take on nachos. It really is a meal in itself. We ate this as our dinner and were completely satisfied. I used Vegan Yum Yum’s cheezy sauce recipe for the con queso base and added a cup of salsa. It turned out even better than I had hoped. You could definitely substitute black beans or refried beans for the taco filling, and add some jalapenos or black olives on top.

Vegan Nachos

Ingredients:

Corn chips

Fantastic Foods Taco Filling

Vegan chile con queso

Baby spinach

Red pepper (diced)

Onion (diced)

Avocado (sliced into strips)

Vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti, which is amazing)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Make the taco filling according to the directions on the box.

After you make the cheezy sauce, throw in one cup of salsa. If your salsa is watery, I recommend draining it a bit so as to not water down the cheezy sauce.

Scatter your corn chips in the bottom of a deep dish or pan.

Spread the taco filling over the chips and follow that with a layer of con queso.

Place in the oven for about 8 to10 minutes to warm the chips. I turned on the broiler for a couple minutes to make the toppings all warm and bubbly, but it’s not necessary.

Finally, add your toppings.

And of course, serve with beer or margaritas.

With March Madness upon us, this would make a great dish to serve while watching the games with friends.  Enjoy!

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Categories vegan
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