Cooking through my CSA: Eggplant (VeganMoFo)

 Eggplant Mushroom Wraps

Vegetables as a work of art?  I think so.

I was mesmerized by the bamboo-esque pattern of these Thai Eggplants.  Without a clear idea of how to use these beautiful eggplants, I used the fail safe method of marinating and roasting with the intention of putting them in a wrap.  I do this often with different combinations of ingredients for wraps and they make wonderful lunches.  It’s a great way to use up produce and protein you have left over from other cooking projects.  For this version I threw in some cremini mushrooms I’d been meaning to use, a half block of extra firm tofu I had leftover from another recipe and about a cup of chickpeas left over from my Big Salad earlier this week. 

I combined sliced eggplant and mushrooms with pressed, cubed tofu with one of my go-to marinades, let them hang for the 10-15 minutes it took for the oven to get up to 375 degrees and then roasted them on a foil lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes, flipping at the 10 minute mark. 

Before baking

This marinade consisted of soy sauce, liquid smoke, (vegan) Worcestershire, Asian chili paste and balsamic vinegar.  I failed to measure how much of each but I’d say I did about equal parts of everything except the soy sauce, which I used much more of.  At the halfway point of baking I took the tray out and flipped everything to make sure it all cooked evenly.  At this point I also added a healthy sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

After baking, sprinkled with nutritional yeast

Once the veg and tofu were roasted, I mixed in the cup of chickpeas I had.  A dose of the mixture went onto a wheat wrap with romaine lettuce (CSA), chopped tomato (CSA) and some lemon tahini dressing.  

My wrap, before wrapping

These made for a delectable and filling lunch

Wraps like this are great because they are so versatile.  You can do this with any combination of veggies, protein and dressing you have on hand.  I often do this with roasted peppers and onions, a schmear of hummus, spinach and chopped kalamata olives.  Roasted squash and onion could combine with seitan and a cheezy sauce in a wrap as well.  You’re only limited by your imagination!

Homemade Pop-Tarts (VeganMoFo)

Recipe adapted from Food Coma.

Once I saw the delectable homemade pop tarts that Emma over at Food Coma made I began to salivate.  When I read about how easy they were to make, using store bought puff pastry, I had to try my hand at them.  These were sinfully delicious and made a perfect partner to my morning coffee and reading. 

I decided to make a strawberry version using my latest batch of strawberries from the farmers’ market.  I simply chopped up a pint and added a spoonful of sugar to them.

Cut each of the two sheets of puff pastry that come in a package (found in the freezer aisle of the grocery store) into 6 equal squares, for a total of 12 squares.  On them, place your fruit filling, making sure not to go all the way to the edges.  

Feeling a bit wild, I added a few semi-sweet chocolate chips to the filling for the second sheet of puff pastry.

Place a puff pastry square on top of the square with the filling and press around the edges with a fork to seal them.  Place squares on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 375 degree oven for 16-18 minutes.   I rotated the baking sheet once during the cooking time, but you may not need to do this if your oven bakes evenly (jealous!).

 

While your tarts bake, make your glaze.  Taking cue from Emma again, I mixed powdered sugar with a splash of soy milk and a bit of Earth Balance.  I kept stirring in powdered sugar until I got the consistency I wanted.  

Remove tarts from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Drizzle glaze on top and chow down as you sip your favorite morning beverage and catch up on some reading.  

 

On a Working Gal's Budget: Foods that Should Never (or verrry rarely) be Bought Pre-made

 

People often comment to me that being vegan must be so very expensive.  There seems to be this crazy notion that a vegan lifestyle is a luxury that many regular folks cannot afford, but it just isn’t so!  I make a rather modest salary and live alone, so I have very little disposable income.  My monthly food budget is $120 which includes the cost of my CSA.  As long as I pay attention to that budget and keep track of my grocery bills along the way, I can stay within that budget and still eat fabulously. 

It’s true that certain vegan versions of food products are sold at a premium price.  Although I was a huge meat eater before going veg, I wasn’t doing my own grocery shopping or cooking, and therefore wasn’t aware of the cost of meat.  Imagine my surprise when I saw that the cost of a 20 pound turkey was about the same price (maybe even less) as the piddly Tofurky I was buying for my boyfriend and myself (which we could polish off in one sitting between the two of us)!  Of course it’s not fair and it even made me boil inside, but there are so many things that we can do to combat those high convenience food prices.  I have many more post ideas on this subject, but for today’s purposes I’m going to talk about high priced convenience foods that make no sense for us frugal vegans to but at the store.    

Salad Dressing:  Not only is the bottled stuff expensive and laden with fat but it’s also rare that you can finish a whole bottle before it goes bad.  Why buy that nonsense when you can make your own delicious salad dressing?  You can usually throw together a quick dressing with stuff you have on hand, even.  Who doesn’t have a bottle of mustard in the reefer?  Mix that mustard with some olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper and voila, mustard vinaigrette.  For a larger batch of dressing, try Susan’sFat Free Goddess Dressing over at the Fat Free Vegan Blog.  It’s easy, tasty and versatile.  I especially love using it on falafel.

Veggie Burgers:  The prepackaged frozen stuff will set you back anywhere from $4 to $7 (in my area anyway) and you only get 4 mediocre burgers.  Making your own veggie burgers is easy and can be a great way to use up stuff that’s been hanging in your fridge.  Just about every cookbook and blog has recipes for great burgers.  Homemade burgers can easily be frozen too.  Just let the burgers cool completely and separate layers with wax or parchment paper.  Hurray for homemade convenience food!

Soup:  Canned and boxed vegetarian soups are so overpriced when you consider that you can make a big batch of comforty goodness for about the same price as one measly can.  Like veggie burgers, homemade soups are another way to rid your refrigerator and cabinets of stuff that’s been sitting around.  Some of my go-to soups are split pea, tortilla, and tomato basil.  Jennifer over at It Ain’t Meat Babe (best blog title ever?) recently posted a great soup making idea that seems so versatile and easy.  I can’t wait to try it for myself. 

Tofurky Roast:  I’ll admit, I love (luuurve, loave, luff) Tofurky.  Like I mention above, my boyfriend and I (with some dedication) can polish off one of these bad boys in one sitting.  Sure a stomach ache shortly follows, but the holidays are for gluttony right?  The sad fact though is commercial Tofurky is just ridiculously overpriced for the amount you get.  Brian McCarthy posted a recipe over at Everyday Dish TV for a homemade tofurky that quite accurately mimics the beloved store bought Tofurky.  He even gives the ingenious option to wrap your homemade tofurky in puff pastry, brush with a ketchup-based solution and bake for a short while.  The puff pastry locks in the moisture of your “bird” and crisps up beautifully to simulate traditional turkey skin.  Brilliant.  His homemade tofurky is simple to make, tastes better than store bought and makes twice the amount at a fraction of the cost. 

  

Frozen Burritos:  Sure there are some tasty options out there, but they will usually set you back at least $3 a pop and are quite puny in size.  Why not make your own burritos, package them and throw them  in the freezer for those hectic work weeks?  It’s as easy as making a batch of beans and rice, mixing in whatever seasonings you like (spices, hot sauce, roasted peppers, etc.) and adding optional extras like baked tofu, cheeze and/or seitan.  Wrap them up, let them cool and toss in the freezer for more homemade convenience food at a fraction of store costs. 

A few more convenience foods that are quite simple to make and store at home to save yourself some clams:  hummus, salsa, lunch meat (great recipe from VeganDad HERE), vegetable broth and pasta sauces. 

Saving money makes me smile… 

VVG

On the Town: Romi's Soft Serve Heaven (VeganMoFo)

Until very recently, creamy vegan soft serve was just something I dreamt about.  Although frozen yogurt joints abound around these parts, the best they offer to us wee vegans (if anything at all) is usually some sort of fruit sorbet.  Boring!  Imagine my delight when I discovered the little gem known as Romi’s Soft Serve Heaven just a few blocks from my apartment. 

Romi’s offers 7 varying flavors of soft serve each day and one of those seven is always vegan.  They even have vegan mix ins that are clearly labeled as such (it’s a self serve place).  I have been quite a few times and the vegan flavor is always different and interesting.  Prior to last night’s trip, flavors I’d had were peanut butter, heath bar, maple and cake batter.  Rumor has it they have a snicker flavor and I’m dying to try it! 

With 90 degree weather plaguing me and a Facebook post announcing Pumpkin Pie Vegan fro yo at Romi’s, I made it a point to get there yesterday.  It was probably the best decision I made that day. 

This was by far the best flavor I have had there.  Too often, the delicate flavor of pumpkin is hidden under a barrage of spices.  Not so at Romi’s!  It tasted like simple, sweetened pumpkin goodness. 

I spent my first year of college at Boston University and walking distance from my dorm was a wonderful hole in the wall frozen yogurt place that offered amazing, fresh flavors.  Their pumpkin was my absolute favorite.  They would blend actual puréed pumpkin into each serving.  Until last night I thought that I would never experience that again.  Enjoying this on my walk home transported me straight back to my freshmen year in Boston.

With a wink and a smile,

VVG

Food and Film - TV Edition: Elaine's Big Salad (VeganMoFo)

“It’s a salad, only bigger, with lots of stuff in it.” – Elaine Benes

 

Seinfeld – Best television show of all time?  In my opinion, it just might be and of the core characters, Elaine may be my favorite.  This Food and Film post is dedicated to Elaine and her “Big Salad”.  

We are introduced to the concept of The Big Salad in the second episode of season 6, properly titled “The Big Salad”.  George and his lady of the moment are heading to Monk’s for lunch and ask Elaine to join them.  Elaine declines, but makes a special request of George…

Elaine: No, no. How about if you bring me back something?

George: Sure, all right, what do you want?

Elaine: Um, hum, I don't know.. . . A big salad?

George: What big salad? I'm going to the coffee shop.

Elaine: They have big salads.

George: I've never seen a big salad.

Elaine: They have a big salad.

George: Is that what I ask for? The BIG salad?

Elaine: It's okay, you don't…

George: No, no, Hey I'll get it. What's in the BIG salad?

Jerry: Big lettuce, big carrots, tomatoes like volleyballs.

The Big Salad is referenced later in the same season when the gang is forced to eat at rival coffee shop, Reggie’s.  The first quote of this blog entry is from that episode (“The Soup”) when Elaine attempts to explain the concept of the Big Salad to their hostile waitress.  So the parameters for a Big Salad are fairly loose.  It needs volume, it must come in a big bowl and should have “lots of stuff in it”.  I often bring salads to work for lunch and in order to sustain me until my afternoon snack, it must be Elaine-style big.  For me, that means plenty of lettuce (preferably a couple different kinds), a variety of veggies, protein of some sort and a delicious homemade dressing.

Big Salad with romaine and red leaf lettuces (CSA), yellow bell pepper (CSA), onion sprouts (CSA), tomato (CSA), chickpeas and fake bacon bits.

I wanted to top this particular Big Salad with a lemon tahini dressing in the style of the rockin’ Jyoti Bihanga dressing by the same name.  The lemon and tahini combine to give the salad a lovely parmesan cheese sort of flavor that I just adore.  Try it for yourself!

A salad to make Miss Benes proud

Lemon Tahini Dressing

Makes enough for two Big Salads

Ingredients:

Juice of one lemon (1 ½ if your lemon is not so juicy)
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt (possibly more to taste)
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Equipment:

Jar or container with tight fitting lid

Procedure:

1.  Combine all ingredients in your jar and shake, shake, shake (I like to impersonate Elaine dancing while I do this)

2.  Check for flavor and adjust depending on your tastes.  If your dressing is a bit thick for your liking, add a splash of water

3.  Pour over your own Big Salad and chomp away while watching your favorite Seinfeld episodes.  Might I suggest "The Big Salad", “The Serenity Now”, “The Little Kicks”, “The Sponge”, “The Strike” and/or “The Soup Nazi”?

Tempeh Ceviche (VeganMoFo)

Another one of my favorite local restaurants is the Mexican eatery, El Zarape.  This is authentic Mexican food at its finest and although they have a wide array of meat-centric entrees, an entire section of their extensive menu is vegetarian.  ¡Ole!  I’ll definitely have to do an “On the Town” post about this joint (including their amazing margaritas!) in the future, but for now I am going to talk about one dish that was so tasty and unique I just had to recreate it at home, El Zarape’s, “Ceviche de Soya”, read: Tempeh Ceviche. 

From what I could tell by examining, and of course eating, El Zarape’s “Ceviche de Soya”, crumbled tempeh is marinated in a lime juice, cilantro and tomato mixture.  They then serve it with pinto beans on top of tostada shells.  Truly divine.  I must admit, I am no tempeh lover.  I have tried several recipes with the stuff but the flavor and texture always throw me.  I probably would not have ordered this dish at the restaurant had they not called it “Ceviche de Soya”.  I was prepared to get some sort of marinated tofu tostada.  Thank you, El Zarape for your creative verbiage and for opening my eyes to a tempeh dish I just can’t get enough of.  Here is my rendition…

Ingredients:

8 oz package tempeh

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

Fresh hot chilis or pickled jalapenos to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 ½ cups pinto beans

Equipment:

Stove top steamer of some sort

Shallow mixing dish

Procedure:

1.  Cut tempeh in 8 equal pieces and steam 20-30 minutes (you can probably steam for less time if you aren’t so adverse to tempeh’s flavor like I am)

2.  Meanwhile, mix all the remaining ingredients together except the pinto beans 

3.  Once tempeh is done steaming, mash thoroughly with a fork and add to your marinade mixture

4.  Allow the tempeh to soak up the flavors for at least 30 minutes

 

5.  When you’re about  ready to serve, warm the pinto beans in a small pot or in the microwave

6.  Serve your ceviche on a large crispy lettuce leaf (iceberg, butter lettuce or cabbage would all work) or a tostada shell with warm pinto beans.  Add salsa and guacamole if you are so inclined (I was!).  

 

Cooking through my CSA: Tomatoes & Hot Peppers (VeganMoFo)

Fresh, organic produce galore!

I have been lucky enough to get a batch of ripe, juicy tomatoes in every single one of my CSA boxes since I began participating a couple months ago.  In my box this go-around was a letter from Suzie’s Farm letting its shareholders know that we should be prepared for fall produce and relish this last batch of tomatoes before us. 

With this in mind and with a basket of assorted hot peppers in my box, I just had to make a spicy fresh tomato salsa.

Of course, you can enjoy homemade salsa year-round by using canned diced tomatoes and pickled jalapenos when you don’t have fresh tomatoes and peppers on hand.  I do this often and it’s quite tasty.  There’s just something so special to me about a summer (it still feels like summer here in SoCal) salsa that utilizes fresh in-season produce.  I used quite a few peppers in this because 1) I had an assortment with varying heat levels and 2) I like my salsa spicy!  Adjust the amount of peppers you use depending on what you have on hand and your personal tastes.  

 

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh tomatoes, diced OR 2 cans diced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

5-7 hot peppers or the equivalent in canned jalapenos, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste (I like garlic or seasoning salt best)

Procedure

1.  In a large bowl mix all ingredients together. 

2.  Taste to see if it needs anything more.  

 

3.  Devour with your favorite tortilla chips, in burritos, with beans, on quesadillas, etc.