Spinach Ravioli, Roasted Delicata Squash

Dinner 10/31

Spinach Ravioli

Roasted Delicata Squash

The ravioli (using square wonton wrappers) were filled with a tofu ricotta (1 block of extra firm tofu crumbled, 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, salt & pepper to taste, a pinch of nutmeg, 1/4 cup of parsley minced) and 3 cups of spinach cooked down in a pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until most of the liquid evaporates.

The ravioli were filled with mixture and folded over, making a triangle and then sealed with a cornstarch slurry (1:1 cornstarch & water). They were boiled for about 2 minutes in salted water until they floated to the surface. Finally, the ravioli were scooped out and finished by tossing them into a warm pan of melted Earth Balance.



Sharing the plate was the roasted Delicata Squash. The squash was peeled, cut in half lengthwise, the seeds scooped out and cut into 1/2" slices. The slices were pan-fried in olive oil until golden brown on each side (about 4-5 minutes), seasoned with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. In a separate pan, 2 cups of onions were pan-fried in olive oil until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. The squash was then added to a roasting pan with the onions and 2 tbs. of white wine and tossed to combine. The pan was covered in aluminum foil and baked for 25 minutes at 350F.

Tags: delicata, squash, ravioli, spinach, parsley, wonton, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Potato Soup with Fried Shallots and Fresh Horseradish

Dinner 10/30

Potato Soup with Fried Shallots and Fresh Horseradish

A nice homey Fall soup with a spicy hit via the freshly grated horseradish and chives. Simple, hearty and filling. 'nuff said...

Tags: horseradish, potato, soup, shallots, fall, chives, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Barley & Potato Soup with Seitan Sausages, Red Cabbage and Onions, Biscuits

Dinner 10/24

Barley & Potato Soup with Seitan Sausages

Red Cabbage and Onions

Biscuits

The soup is a riff on Graupensuppe, a German-style barley soup -- carrot, onion, celery root and leeks, topped with fried seitan sausage.



The red cabbage was pan-fried along with the onions, ground caraway seeds, salt & pepper -- the only thing I changed was an added shot of tomato paste and 1 tbs. of garlic -- and it was finished with a really cool German beer-vinegar (which I need to find again).

Also, the biscuits? Flaky good...

Tags: barley, celery root, cabbage, vinegar, seitan, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza

Dinner 10/22

Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza

We watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen the other day and used this recipe as a starting point (subbing Earth Balance), making our own tomato sauce, and using Daiya cheddar in one and mozzarella in the other.



They turned out so well, I think we'll use these at Holiday Party XV (which is only 7 weeks away -- eeep!). They would be perfect to make earlier in the day and toss in the oven for the second wave of food...

Tags: pizza, tomato, daiya, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Seitan Osso Buco, Polenta

Dinner 10/15

Seitan Osso Buco

Polenta

Seitan Osso Buco

2 tbs. olive oil
16oz. of seitan, cubed (optionally hickory smoked for 25 minutes)

The seitan was pan-fried in a large dutch-oven until well browned. Remove the seitan and keep warm.

1 tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 tsp. thyme, crumbled

In the dutch oven add 1 tbs. of olive oil over med-high heat and saute the onions and carrots for 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme and cook for one additional minute.

2 tbs. of flour

Add the pan-fried seitan back into the pot, add the flour and mix to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

1 cup of red wine
1 cup of whole tomatoes
1 cup of veg stock

Off heat add the wine, tomatoes and veg stock. Return the pot to med-high, crush the tomatoes (we like to use a potato masher) and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and reduce to a simmer on low heat for about an hour until it thickens up. Serve over the polenta.

Polenta

The polenta started with 1 cup of fine cornmeal whisked into 4 cups of boiling water seasoned with 1 tbs. of salt. From there we turned down the heat to low and made it like a risotto, adding an additional 2 cups of water, about 1/3 cup at a time here and there (don't sweat the timing, just don't let it scorch the bottom of the pan). Finally, we stirred in 1 tbs. of soy margarine, 1/4 cup of microplaned Smoked Cheddar Sheese, 2 tbs. of nutritional yeast, and 1 tsp. of black pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, and check for seasoning.

Tags: seitan, polenta, recipe, tomatoes, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Caramelized Onion Tart, Mini-Peppers with Daiya, Cauliflower and Paprika Soup

Dinner 10/14

Caramelized Onion Tart

Mini-Peppers with Daiya

Cauliflower and Paprika Soup

After the success of the Tomato and Basil Tart (and with the other half of the puff pastry still available) we made this luscious caramelized onion tart. The base was a mix of vegan cream cheese with minced parsley, nutritional yeast, minced garlic, minced shallots, salt and pepper. The onions were slow cooked in olive oil until golden, about 10 minutes, and were seasoned with salt & pepper.

The puff pastry was rolled out slightly to fit the rectangular pan, then the layer of herbed cream cheese was added and was then topped with caramelized onions. It was baked at 400F for about 25 minutes (check after 20 minutes to be safe).

The pickled peppers came from the olive bar section of the supermarket, and were stuffed with a dollop of Daiya and baked at the same time as the tart -- a nice one bite app.



The cauliflower & paprika soup was our riff on Karfiolleves minus the tiny dumplings (galuska) via Saveur -- the recipe isn't online at the moment -- but it's simply one diced carrot & onion with 1 1/2 tbs. of smoked paprika, salt, pepper, six cups of veg stock and a small head cauliflower roasted, topped with chopped parsley.

Tags: soup, cauliflower, paprika, onions, tart, puff pastry, daiya, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancakes)

Dinner 10/11

Bindaetteok
(Mung Bean Pancakes)

It's amazing how good 2 cups of soaked (for eight hours minimum) mung beans, 1/4 cup of soaked basmati rice, 1/2 cup of water, 2 tbs. of tamari, 1 tbs. of sesame oil, 1 cup of shredded, sauteed napa cabbage and carrots, a pinch of cayenne and smoked paprika (to mimic gochugaru) and 1/4 cup of scallions taste when made into Korean-style pancakes. ;)

We really need to make some kimchi to kick these into overdrive -- but they were still pretty awesome.

The dipping sauce was pretty traditional -- tamari, minced scallions, red chili pepper flakes and a little vinegar.

Tags: mung beans, kimchi, cabbage, chili flakes, vinegar, tamari, rice, carrots, scallions, korean, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Tomato and Basil Tart

Dinner 10/09

Tomato and Basil Tart

ah, a fond farewell wave to the last of the big tomatoes...



A simple tart -- a puff pastry sheet with a base of pureed tofu, vegan sour cream, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, parsley & Daiya layered on top with the last of the tomatoes, salt & pepper.



After baking for about 20-25 minutes in a 425F oven, the tart was gently removed from the pan and the basil was spread on top.

Tags: tomato, tomatoes, basil, tart, puff pastry, daiya, parsley, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Raw Food Thursday: Papaya Soup

Raw Food Thursday 10/6

Papaya Soup

...a refreshing cup of soup at the end of a long day -- pureed papaya, water, lime juice, nama shoyu and a wee bit of garlic topped with cilantro.

Tags: papaya soup, garlic, lime, nama shoyu, raw food wednesday, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce

Dinner 10/05

Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce

We brought back our recipe for Braised Collard Greens with Coconut Curry Sauce with the addition of radishes and cilantro, topped off with the squee-inducing beech mushrooms.

Tags: mushrooms, collard greens, rice, curry, coconut milk, tofu, radishes, cilantro, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666

Gyoza

Dinner 10/01

Gyoza

The potstickers were made with shredded napa cabbage, carrots, shallots, garlic and ginger which were all stir-fried in a little sesame oil until wilted (5-7 minutes) and hit with 1 tbs. of tamari at the end of cooking.

Once the filling cooled, the dumpling wrappers were stuffed and pan-seared until golden brown. Finally a little water and tamari were added, a lid was put on top and the gyoza steamed for a few moments until the liquid evaporated.

Served with a pseudo-poznu dipping sauce made with lemon juice & tamari.

We often get asked about where to find wonton wrappers that don't have dairy (either milk or whey hiding in the ingredients). They're not always easy to find -- you may need to search around for a bit -- but we found these at our local Asian grocery store (Dumpling wrapper, Shanghai-style made by Twin Marquis). They're simply wheat flour, rice flour, water and salt.

Tags: gyoza, napa cabbage, carrot, ginger, garlic, shallot, potsticker, dumpling, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666