Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping

4 large or 6 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup soy creamer or soymilk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup unbleached white flour
3/4 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray (or wipe with canola oil).

Mash the sweet potatoes with the margarine until smooth. Add the soy creamer, orange juice, vanilla, sugar, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into prepared casserole dish.

Mix the topping ingredients together until well-combined. Spread or sprinkle over the casserole and bake for 45 minutes or until hot throughout.

Adapted from The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Ginger Sesame Noodles with Broccoli and Carrots

Adapted from Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegetarian (healthy home-cooked meals in 30 minutes or less!!)

2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons mirin (I have been using good quality sake lately)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I have been using 1/2 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes that are at the bottom of the chili oil jar w/a bit of the oil)
1/4 cup tamari
2 tablespoons water
12 ounces soba noodles (or spaghetti, udon or linguine)
8 ounces broccoli florets
3 small-medium carrots, cut into thin coins
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
Toasted sesame seeds or gomasio

In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, brown sugar, mirin and red pepper flakes. Stir in the tamari and water.

Put the water on to boil for the pasta. When it's ready add your pasta and cook it until it is almost done. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli and carrots. Drain and rinse with cold water and then toss with the sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat the canola oil in a skillet. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds. Add the noodles and vegetables and the sauce. Toss and heat through. Serve with toasted sesame seeds or gomasio sprinkled on top.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Eggless Salad

adapted it from Food Network and made some changes to accomodate my tastes.


14 oz. package of soft tofu
1/2 cup Nayonaise or Vegenaise (I usually end up adding 2 heaping tablespoons more when I'm done)
3 TBS Dijon mustard
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (dried works too)
1 TBS chopped fresh dill (dried works too)
3 green onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
(Sometimes I add sweet pickle relish to it as well)

Mash tofu in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Chill and serve as a sandwich or over a bed of greens.

Chick’n and Avocado Sandwiches


1 8-ounce package Morning Star Farm Chick’n Strips*
2 small Haas avocados, sliced
3 hoagie buns, preferably whole wheat
Boston lettuce leaves
sweet onion slices
chipotle mayonnaise (see below)

Heat chick’n strips in a small, non-stick skillet until just heated through. Layer strips on buns, top with avocado slices, and serve with lettuce, onion slices and mayo.

For chipotle mayonnaise:
Puree a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the blender. Stir about ½ teaspoon of the puree into about ¼ cup of vegan mayonnaise. Taste and add more if you like. Store remaining chipotle pepper puree in a small glass jar in the refrigerator. The puree will keep for a year.

* If you use seitan or a different brand of chick’n strips, sprinkle them with pinches of salt, black pepper and either cayenne pepper or paprika before heating.

Serves 3. This is an original recipe

A good side for this is sliced pineapple or fruit salad.