Saturday, September 24, 2011

Vietnamese Chick'n Baguette with Savory Dip Broth

This is a slight variation from the almighty Veganomican.  This has a couple of shortcuts, mainly I use pre made mock chik'n instead of making the seitan myself.  I have had good feedback from meat eaters on this one, it is especially good with sweet potato fries!

Dipping Broth:

2 1/2 cups veggie broth
2 tablespoon of soy sauce, low sodium
4 cloves of garlic, left whole with peel but gently crushed
1 inch piece of ginger root, sliced into 1/8-inch pieces and gently crushed
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoon lime juice, use fresh, the bottled stuff just isn't the same

Sandwiches:

1 pack of mock chik'n strips, I like
http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=smartstripschickn
4 (6-inch) French baguette, or individual mini baguettes
Several sprigs of fresh cilantro
Red onion rings, thinly sliced
Cucumber, seedless is best, peeled and sliced into long, thin strips
Vegenaise

In a 2 quart saucepan, combine the broth, garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, and pepper flakes.  Do not cover.  Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, then turn down heat to medium-low and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, stir in the sugar and lime juice, and cover the broth until ready to serve.  Strain the broth in to individual bowls or ramekins when ready to eat!

Stir fry the chik'n slices with  a little soy sauce, salt, pepper, basil leaves and sliced red onion.  The original recipe has the onion raw, but I like it better cooked.

Slice each baguette in half, lengthwise, open up and lightly toast.  Spread the vegenaise on each half and layer one side with cucumber, onion rings and chik'n slices, top with the cilantro.  Close the sandwich and smush down a little.  Holding it down firmly, slice on the diagonal.  Serve it with a cup of broth and dip!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Taco Soup

1 fresh pablano pepper, or a bell pepper if you can't find the pablano
1 red onion
3 cloves of minced garlic, or more if you like garlic
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can creamed corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 packet of ranch dressing
1 lb of cooked minced chicken or beef if you don't want vegetarian
1 canned chipolte pepper, minced with a tablespoon of the sauce for more spice

In a large pot, sautee the onion for 5 minutes or until they become transparent, then add the pepper until it all starts to brown, then add the garlic for another 5 minutes.  Add all of the other ingredients, including the water in the cans of beans.  Add both seasoning packets and simmer for about and hour.  Serve on top of Fritos and sprinkle with cheese and sour cream.. Easy!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Vegan Stuffed Shells

This is easy, the prep takes a little while but it is worth it.  It also makes great leftovers.

1 box large shells
1 large bunch of spinach
1 handful of fresh basil
1 handful fresh oregano
7 cloves of fresh garlic
10 fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup kalamata olives in brine, pitted and drained
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 small jar sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained but save 2 tablespoons of the oil
2 jars of Newman's Own Sockarooni pasta sauce

Cook the large shells accordng to the package directions, drain and rinse, set aside.

While the shells are cooking:

Rinse and remove stems of spinach, add spinach, basil and oregano to a food processor until minced.  Place in a large mixing bowl.
Add the garlic, mushrooms and pine nuts to the food processor until it forms a paste and add to the spinach and herbs.
Add the sundried tomatoes, olives and 2 tablespoons of oil to the processor and mince, mix all together in the mixing bowl to form a paste.  This is the stuffing for the shells. 

Spray a 9x12in pyrex backing dish with a light coating of olive oil such as Pam.  Spread 3/4 of the pasta sauce on the bottom evenly.

Stuff each shell and place in the pyrex 9x12inch backing dish on top of the sauce.

Pour all reaining sauce on top and spread evenly.  Preheat the oven to 375f, cover dish with foil and bake for 20mins.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the sauce starts to bubble.

I am always changing it up a little, sometimes I add onion or bell peppers to the stuffing, artichoke hearts work well too.  If you want to add cheese, baking with goat cheese on top is great, I have been using Daiya Mozzerella cheese!
http://www.daiyafoods.com/products/mozza.asp
I add the Daiya in the last 10 minutes.