Creamy Broccoli Mushroom Bake

Yes, this Creamy Broccoli Mushroom Bake from Vegan Yum Yum is an ugly duckling recipe as promised, but it was good. I liked the technique of this casserole dish though: process broccoli and mushrooms, saute them with onions and olive oil, mix in an alfredo sauce and grains, top with breadcrumbs, and bake. I don't think I've ever processed my veggies like that before for a casserole.

It was very good, but not a winner in my book because

1. The alfredo sauce, while really good, called for two tablespoons of Earth Balance margarine. Two tablespoons! Maybe I'm too much of a Happy Herbivore-ian now, but I just don't think you need so much (or any) margarine for something to taste good. 
2. The alfredo recipe called for an optional two to four cloves of garlic. I love garlic so put in nearly four, and the final dish tasted overwhelmingly of garlic, I didn't mind it because I like garlic, but I'd have liked to taste the broc, shrooms, and sauce too. 
3. It was not filling at all. I eat protein, whole grains, and veggies at every meal to keep me satisfied. I had to pair this with a lentil soup or baked tofu or a chickpea salad to make a complete meal, and by that time the calorie count for this meal was, I'm guessing, way higher than I need.

Still, if you don't mind pairing this dish with a protein, love strong garlic flavor or choose to omit, and don't care about the bad margarine, it was pretty good. I'd be interested in making another version with a Happy Herbivore alfredo sauce and some chickpeas added to the mix.

Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Bake from Vegan Yum Yum

• Alfredo sauce recipe is here (the recipe uses a slightly tweaked version)
• 1 cup cooked orzo (I used brown rice)
• 2 1/2 cups broccoli processed to a fine mixture
• 1 cup mushrooms processed to a fine mixture
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (I used 1)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute until softened and beginning to brown. Add the processed broccoli, shrooms, and salt. Saute until the mixture cooks down slightly and the veggies are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat.
2. Add the brown rice and alfredo sauce, and mix everything up.
3. Lightly oil a medium casserole dish, pour the mixture in, top with bread crumbs, and spray with cooking spray then the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. 
4. Baked covered at 400F for 25 minutes; uncover and bake for 5 minutes more.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe has transformed self-declared Brussels sprouts haters into lovers. It's become the dish my family asks me to bring for holiday dinners. And it's so simple to make!

I made it this week because I couldn't pass up the Brussels sprout stalks at Trader Joe's. I'm sure I'll be making it again for the holidays.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Recipe from Vegetarian Times

• 2 lb. Brussels sprouts, large sprouts halved, small sprouts left whole
• 3 Tbs. olive oil (I used less; just make sure the sprouts are nicely coated)
• 2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 2 Tbs. vegan margarine (Earth Balance), optional

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss Brussels sprouts with oil in large baking dish or on baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Roast 45 minutes, or until tender, loosening sprouts from baking dish or sheet with spatula every 15 minutes, and making sure they brown nicely. 
2. Transfer to serving bowl and toss with maple syrup and butter, if using. 
   

Note: Serve immediately, but these taste just as good at room temperature.

The Secret to Urban Gardening: Big Pots!

This summer I've spent less time cooking and more time eating whatever I've picked up at the farmers' markets. I think peanut butter & jelly on homemade wheat toast with sliced tomatoes, steamed kale, and watermelon for dessert is a completely respectable meal (that sounds better than, "I'm a little lazy in the summer").

We've also been eating from the veggie plants we're growing this year--one of my food budgeting goals. Every year I've tried to grow veggie plants, they've failed. Our last tomato plant looked ill the whole summer and spit out three tomatoes at the end of the year. We have a concrete patio for a yard, so I have to rely on potted plants, and I suspect my pots have been too small.

My husband's coworker gave us three plants this year (thanks, Matt!). We planted them in our biggest pots, which I usually use for ornamental grasses on the deck. I was a little sad to give up my grasses, but the pots were the solution!

This is our Fourth of July plant. The tomatoes are bigger than cherry tomatoes but still small and consistently delicious. It keeps growing and growing and has about five ripe tomatoes a day with about 20 more ripening. It became a super-performer only after I watered it with compost from the worm bin I keep in my kitchen, where I put fruit and veggie scraps.
This is our hot pepper plant. It also has a ton of peppers all the time. I've used them in salsa, and my husband grills or sautes them and puts them on burgers or hot dogs (he isn't veg).
Our third plant is some type of black tomato. A third of it got devoured by a tomato worm early in the season, and it hasn't been the same since. It's only just produced two tomatoes...but they are amazing!
It's nice to come home from work, walk outside, and pick these for dinner.
I also bought a basil plant from Trader Joe's. Basil is pretty reliable and has done well for me in previous years; it didn't disappoint this year. This basil is extremely fragrant and smells so sweet, I want to eat the leaves right off the stem. Unfortunately, the lettuce salad plants I got from Whole Foods did awful. They didn't last beyond my first plucking. I never replanted them into a bigger pot, so I guess that's why. (That's Rasputin, my formal feral kitty who plays catch with toy mice and hairbands and is a big, constantly attention-starved baby.)

Lots & Lots of Steamed Kale

A week ago at the farmers' market near my house on the Northside, I bought three heads of kale for $5. The woman had to give me a large trash bag to hold the giant heads. Once home, I had to clean out the fridge to fit all the kale.

When my husband got home and wondered why we had a trash bag taking up the whole fridge, I told him I'd just bought kale. He peered into the full bag and said, "There's no way you can eat all that before it goes bad." The challenge was on!

For the past week I've eaten kale for every lunch and dinner. Mostly I've simply steamed it and made sauces or gravies to go with it. There are a bunch of great gravies in the new Happy Herbivore cookbook that's coming out that I was lucky enough to recipe test for. So I've been making Miso Gravy (my favorite), Chickpea Gravy, and Mushroom Gravy, ladling it over the kale, and topping it with baked tofu or seitan and some brown rice or quinoa. I know gravy doesn't scream "summer," but hey, these simple meals are delicious, easy, and cost next to nothing.

I also bought the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook and made a few great recipes with kale. The first was Tahini Lemon Rice and Beans with Kale and Seitan. For this recipe, I made seitan for the first time. Seitan is, basically, dough balls made from vital wheat gluten and boiled in veg broth. I know, it doesn't sound very good. But it is!
The first time I made it I used the Appetite for Reduction recipe, which has wheat gluten, veg broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. It was so good, I couldn't help eating it right out of the pot.The Tahini Lemon Rice & Beans was absolutely amazing. It may be one of my all-time favorite recipes. The sauce is lemony without being overpowering, and the tahini makes it rich and buttery. Black beans, rice, kale, and seitan all taste delicious with the sauce.
I also made Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale, and Carrots from Vegan Yum Yum. This too was amazing. The lime juice gives the peanut sauce a little something different. For this recipe, I made seitan from Veganomicon. It was good, but I didn't like it as much.Today I'm going back to the farmers' market. Though I ate kale out the wazoo, I still have some left, so I'll try to refrain from buying a bunch more, but I'm not making any promises. I love kale too much!

BBQ with Family, Kids & Diets

My husband has complimented me on planning vegan meals that omnivores love. We’ve been hosting a lot of dinners for friends, and each has been a hit. But this past weekend was the biggest challenge to date: my meat-and-potatoes family came over. A tough crowd to please, for sure!

My mom and aunts have never tasted Indian, Thai, or Middle Eastern food, and it’s hard for them to even understand vegetarianism, let alone veganism (years after I became vegetarian, they were still surprised that I didn’t eat hot dogs). So I wanted to make a meal that showed them how good vegan eating can be without being too crazy for them. I was originally going to make Mujadara (lentils, rice, and caramelized onions) since they’d never had lentils, but I thought that would likely be too crazy. They love salads, so I decided to make a basic grilled veggie salad. I also decided to make the black bean burgers I’d made awhile back because they’re not too crazy. I thought these light options would also be good for my sister who, like me, lost a lot of weight a few years ago and is carefully maintaining her loss.

But the big challenge was my 13- and 14-year-old nephew and niece. I am happily child-free and know very little about kids, especially what to feed them--or, at least, these kids who grew up in a meat-and-potatoes family. “They’re not going to want grilled veggies spread with white bean aioli,” my husband said. Hmmm…he had a point. So…I declared defeat. As much as it pained me, I bought hot dogs for them. Ugh.

Here’s the family’s review of what I made:

• White Bean Aioli with baguettes & crackers. I renamed this “a creamy garlic dip” when presenting it to them. I’d made this Veganomicon recipe a few weeks ago and knew they’d love it because they like garlic. Everyone really liked it—even the kids and my aunt who is a self-declared bean hater.
• Sweet Basil Pesto Tapenade. Another Veganomicon recipe I recently tried, this was slightly too sweet and didn’t come out as good as I’d hoped. But my mom especially loved it; she liked the blend of garlic and sweet tastes. My nephew even liked it!
• Grilled Veggie Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. I recently made this low-fat dressing from Appetite for Reduction for a dinner party mainly for myself (I had another dressing option), and everyone raved about it. The family also really loved this dressing.
• Black Bean Burgers. My family had never tasted any kind of vegetarian burger, so they were very skeptical. They agreed to “try a bite.” I also made Guacamame to put on this version from Veganomicon. My sister said the texture of the burger threw her off, but once she got past that, she liked it. My mom and aunt (the bean hater) also liked them and said they were surprised they were good. My brother-in-law makes guacamole all the time and couldn't tell the difference in my version.
  

In general, everyone seemed surprised everything was so good. I bet they were scared of what would be on their plates when they got to my house! But I know my audiences well, so I think I planned a good menu for them. But I’d like to spring Mujadara on them another time!

Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Sour Cream

More delicious meals on the grill this past weekend!

I made the Black Bean Burgers from Veganomicon and loved them! Because they're made with vital wheat gluten (what seitan is made of), they hold together well and have a great, chewy texture. The southwestern blend of spices was good without being overpowering. And they paired wonderfully from the Cilantro Sour Cream also from Veganomicon. I've made this tofu-based sour cream before and loved it. This time, I only had half the cilantro the recipe called for, so it was less cilantro-y but still really good. I also used it as a salad dressing this week. The only thing is that the black bean burgers were supposed to be pan-fried. They easily got a little burnt on the grill.I also grilled some tofu and slathered the cilantro sour cream on the slices. I re-used some tofu marinade I had left over from last week's BBQ. It's from Appetite for Reduction and is pretty basic with veg broth, soy sauce, garlic, and thyme. It tastes anything but basic when grilled. The flavors all really come out, and the grilling makes it really chewy with a great texture. It was amazing served with cilantro sour cream. To go with the burgers I grilled some veggies and made the White Bean Aioli from Veganomicon to spread on them. A vegan version of the garlicky mayo, this aioli was out of this world. It brought my grilled veggies to even greater heights on the "yum" factor, and it's so good I'll make it again as a spread on crackers or pita for an appetizer.
For a real treat, I grilled avocado. If you like avocado and have not yet had it grilled...do yourself a favor and grill some up! The outside gets slightly crisp and the inside is creamy. Delicious.

Grilled Portobellos and Potatoes

Grilling season is finally here! Warm weather was slow to come to Pittsburgh, but it's finally here to stay. My husband and I grill out most summer days. It's quick, easy, tastes great, and we can each grill different things, which is perfect for an omnivore-vegan couple like us.

This weekend I tried the Grilled Portobellos recipe from Appetite for Reduction. I had them both as a burger on a bun and sliced up in a salad with miso-tahini dressing. Both were delicious. I've been also grilling my standard potato-onion-garlic medley, which is always perfect. Recipes follow.

Also, now that summer is nearly here, I'll be much more busy, so I'm putting my blog on summer hours and expect to post only once or twice a week. On nice days, I can't bear to be on a computer when I could be outside playing :-)

Grilled Portobellos

4 portobello caps, stems removed by twisting the stems

Marinade

• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Place the portobellos gills up in a baking dish. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and spoon over the portobellos. Let marinate for at least half an hour, spooning the marinade back onto the mushrooms every 10 minutes or so. I grill mine so they're well done, for about 15 or 20 minutes, until they're very soft and juicy.

Miso-Tahini Dressing
This simple dressing from Veganomicon was fantastic with the sliced, grilled portobellos and salad greens. I've also had it with veggies too, like roasted cauliflower, and it's equally awesome.

To make it, mix together equal parts (depending on how much you want, for example, 1 tablespoon) of miso, tahini, and warm water. That's it!

Grilled Potato, Onion, and Garlic Packets
This is my go-to potato dish on the grill. Simple and delicious.

• 1 yukon gold potato, cut into small dice-size pieces
• 1 small onion, sliced into half-moons
• as many garlic cloves as you want, cut into a few pieces or whole
  

Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray and add the ingredients. Spray everything again with cooking spray and toss to make sure everything's coated. I sprinkle mine with a little sea salt, but you can sprinkle with just about any seasoning. These packets take about a half-hour to grill.

Zucchini & Chickpea Patties

I love to cook, but I'm not a natural. So whenever I throw stuff together, the results usually aren't too great. But tonight I gave it a shot. I had some zucchini I wanted to use before it went bad and had some chickpeas I slow-cooked over the weekend. So I made these Zucchini & Chickpea Patties. I definitely used too much Italian seasoning and Dijon mustard, and it was missing...something. Still, they weren't awful. In fact, when I smothered them in some vegan cheese sauce I made to go with steamed kale, they were fantastic!

Zucchini & Chickpea Patties

Makes 6 patties

• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup cooked chickpeas, mashed
  
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (thinking this should be just 1 or 2 tsp)
  
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (I'll use just 1 next time)
  
• 1 tbsp chickpea cooking liquid

First I mashed the chickpeas with a fork then added everything else in and combined. I formed them into patties, put them on a greased baking sheet, sprayed them with cooking spray, baked at 375 for 10 minutes, baked, sprayed again, and baked for 15 more minutes. They weren't dry, but they didn't hold together well.

Suggestions for how to make these better are welcome!

Appetite for Reduction: Ye'abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collards)

For all you nutrition-loving folks, here's an interesting note from Appetite for Reduction: 1 cup of collards has the same amount of calcium as 1 cup of 2% cow's milk but has way more fiber (7 grams versus 0 in milk) and less saturated fat (0 grams versus 3 in milk). Clearly, collards are better! ;-)

Veganonicon started my love affair with collards, but this recipe for Ethiopian-style stewed and sauteed collards, Ye'abesha Gomen, made me fall in love all over again. How can something that tastes so good be so good for you? That's the magic of Appetite for Reduction!

This recipe starts out by stewing chopped collards in vegetable broth for a half-hour until they're nice and tender. Then you saute onion, garlic, fresh ginger, and red pepper flakes in a little bit of olive oil, then add the collards and cook everything for a few minutes. I loved it. My omnivore husband grudgingly tried it and even more grudgingly admitted it was "not bad," which, translated to my love of food, really means "very good!"

Appetite for Reduction: Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale

Garlic, mushrooms, and kale: simple but delicious. I made this as a side to go with leftovers tonight and really liked it. I'd definitely make it again with pasta or rice as a main dish or even in a tofu scramble. But as a quick and easy side, it's great. I can see why Isa says it's the recipe from the book she makes the most.

Appetite for Reduction: Jerk Asparagus

Really flavorful and simple to make, I loved this asparagus recipe from Appetite for Reduction. Asparagus are sauteed with garlic, ginger, allspice, red pepper flakes, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. I had it as a snack with some Cauliflower Hummus and homemade pita, but it would be a great main dish served over rice or even whole-wheat pasta, or as a salad topping.

Braised Broccoli with Lemony Tahini Sauce

Since I first made this recipe from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cook Book, it's become one of my favorite broccoli recipes. It's quick to make and delicious. You can use either broccoli or cauliflower, and you can roast the veggies (toss with a little oil and toast at 400F for about 30 minutes) instead of braising the veggies. The recipe is very similar to this one from a 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, which I've made many times and love. Today I modified Bittman's recipe a bit to use less oil and had it for lunch with leftover Tamarind Lentils (that I didn't love, but I hate to throw them out.)

Braised Broccoli or Cauliflower with Lemony Tahini Sauce
4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (Bittman's recipe calls for 3 tablespoons)
• Vegetable broth for braising
• 1 large head (about 1 & 1/2 pounds) broccoli or cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (I didn't use zest)
• 1/3 cup tahini
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions (with my modifications)

1. Coat a large deep skillet with cooking spray and heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets, stir to coat with oil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Once the oil gets used up, add a little vegetable broth so that they can cook without burning and sticking to the pan. Remove the broccoli.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan along with the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, tahini, a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth. Stir until a relatively smooth sauce forms and begins to bubble and thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water or broth if it's too thick; thick sauce will clump and not spread easily over the veggies.
3. Return the broccoli to the pan, stir to coat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is fully tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add the parsley if using. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Truffled Wild Mushrooms over Whipped White Beans

I'd been wanting to make this recipe from Vegetarian Times for a while but had trouble finding truffle oil. (I got it from Penn Mac in the Strip District--pricey!) This was pretty quick and easy to make and was very good. And look how pretty it is! I was low on thyme so used much less than the recipe called for. Consequently, the beans were a bit bland, but I just salted and peppered them to death. Next time, I'll definitely add plenty of fresh herbs to the beans for more flavor.

Cajun Stuffed Mushrooms

I wanted a veggie side to go with my leftover Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions, so I made these stuffed mushrooms, a recipe I adapted from WeightWatchers. This is quick, easy to make, and very low-cal. Makes a good, quick, snack by itself or a meal when combined with a salad and some type of beans or lentils.

Note that you'll likely have filling left over. It's good scrambled up with some tofu.

Cajun Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 24 stuffed mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
• 1 pound(s) button mushrooms, about 24 large mushrooms
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1cup(s) onion(s), chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 - 2 slice(s) whole-wheat bread, processed into bread crumbs (I used 1)
  
• 1- 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning (I used 2)
  
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
2. Remove mushroom stems from caps and finely chop stems; reserve caps and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sauté mushroom stems, onion, garlic, and spinach until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.
4. Stuff each mushroom cap with 2 tablespoons of filling mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffed sides up, on jellyroll pan. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes; serve warm.
5. Note: The mushrooms can be stuffed in advance, covered, refrigerated and then baked later in the day to save on last-minute preparation time.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 1 for 4 mushrooms

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

This recipe from the January/February 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times was really good. I didn't use cranberries. I don't think you need to, but if you're a cranberry person (I'm ho-hum about them), this would probably be even better. This would be good for a dinner party--looks and tastes great.
I bought this huge new skillet from Ikea for $25. I really needed something that allows for room when I'm sauteeing; this works great.
Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
• 2 shallots, halved and sliced (1/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp walnut oil

Instructions

1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and toast 3 to 4 minutes or until fragrant.
2. Wipe out skillet and return to heat. Add olive oil and swirl skillet to coat bottom.
3. Add Brussels sprouts and cook 5 minutes, or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Stir in cranberries, agave, and 1 cup water. Partially cover skillet, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and Brussels sprouts are tender.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in walnut oil and toasted walnuts. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

WeightWatchers PointsPlus: 5