Sunday, July 22, 2012

Day 11

Today I am keeping my message short. I have not been feeling well today and will try and post something exciting tomorrow. Leave me some comments if you have any suggestions or if you just want to say hi. I always appreciate the input.

See you tomorrow, I'll leave you with a picture of my babies.

 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ultimate Vegan Bacon

This is the recipe of recipes! Who doesn't love bacon? This is my take on vegan bacon. Gather your ingredients. This recipe will call for two separate doughs, one red one white. For the red dough you will need:

1 cup vital wheat gluten

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 tbs paprika

2 tsps black pepper

3 tsps garlic powder

3 tbs nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tbs tomato paste

2/3 cup warm water

3 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs maple syrup

1 tsp liquid smoke


For the white dough you will need:

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tbs nutritional yeast

2 tsps garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup water

1 tbs olive oil

Start by getting two large bowls and adding the dry ingredients from the red dough into one bowl and adding the dry ingredients from the white dough in the other bowl.

 






Add the wet ingredients from each dough into their respective bowls and mix until all the flour is wet and a moist dough is sitting in each bowl.

Knead each dough ball in their bowls for about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and let them rest for about 15 minutes to let the flour absorb some of the moisture. After the dough has rested take each ball and cut each into 4-5 pieces. Flatten and stretch each piece into a long flat strip then stack them up. Red on white on red on white on red.


Once you have your mound of dough, form it into a smooth block and place it between two plates and let the dough pieces fuse together. This is what will give your vegan bacon the marbled look like real bacon. Let the pieces press for about 20-30 minutes. Place the pressed block onto a baking sheet and stick it in a 375 degree over for about 30 minutes. The dough will not be cooked all the way through at this point.

Remove it from the oven and let cool until it is cool enough to handle and cut. Cut into thin strips or thick strips if you prefer. Cook these strips in a pan until they are nice and crispy.

 

Once they are done, use them as you please.

We made VBLT's. Vegan bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches.


 

Store the rest in the fridge or freeze it to save it for even longer. Any scraps left over can be cooked, crumbled and used s a delicious salad topping.

Enjoy!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Vegan Jalapeño Poppers

Holy jalapeño's batman! Jalapeño poppers that is. Vegan jalapeño poppers. These babies are sooooo delicious and super simple to make in a snap.

Grab your ingredients:

10 jalapeño peppers cut in half lengthwise

Enough vegan cream cheese to fill the pepper halves. You can use regular cream cheese if you wish

Vegan cheddar shreds - I used Daiya

Panko bread crumbs

Vegan non dairy milk or regular milk if you prefer

All purpose flour for dredging

Start by cutting your jalapeño's lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. The easiest method I've found is scraping the pepper halves with a spoon.

Once you have removed the seeds start the filling. Mix the vegan cream cheese with the vegan cheddar shreds and load the mixture into the grooves in the pepper halves. Fill them shallow or load those suckers up its up to you.

Next preheat your oven to 375 degrees and set up an assembly line. Mine goes something like milk, flour, then panko, then baking sheet. Now the breading process is almost the same, the only difference is the procedure goes milk, flour, milk, panko, pan. Get a nice thick coating of panko on the peppers and pop those poppers in the oven for 30-40 minutes turning once halfway through.

These peppers will be great as a snack, or a hit at a party. The best thing is these poppers are loaded with flavor, are vegan, and because the are baked not fried they are lower in calories!

 

So next time your heading to a party, think about bringing the heat with these great little treats.

Be sure to support my blog by donating to the blog or repost my blog if you're a fan or follow me by email.

 

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Leftovers and Homemade Croutons

Tonight we had yellow rice and leftover black beans from yesterday and an herb salad with homemade croutons.

To make yourself some croutons choose your favorite bread and preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Once preheated bake for 20-25 minutes until nice and crunchy. Chop into the size you want and serve as a warm salad topping or cool down and store in a zip top bag for a week.

 

 

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Birthday party

Today was busy. Too busy to take pictures of food. We cooked dinner for my girlfriend's best friend's birthday. We had the most amazing black beans and rice, tostones, chili lime corn on the cob, and a birthday cake. The food and company was a great way to spend a Wednesday.

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Day 6

Today I made a family favorite, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and roasted cauliflower. The mushroom gravy is to die for. A truly homemade gravy seasoned to perfection. That is why it's a favorite around this house. To start, gather your ingredients.

For the potatoes:

6 medium Yukon gold potatoes

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

2 tbs vegan cream cheese or regular if you prefer

1 tbs vegan sour cream or regular if you prefer

Salt and pepper to taste

For the mushroom gravy:

2 pkgs or 16 oz of baby portabella's

3 tbs all purpose flour

1 cup of vegetable broth

1/4 of white wine, red wine will work in a pinch

6 cloves of garlic minced

1 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the cauliflower:

1 tbs olive oil

1 head of cauliflower stemmed

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by prepping all your ingredients. Mince the garlic, chop the cauliflower, slice the mushrooms, chop the potatoes.

Once your prep is done start a large pot of water boiling and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Once the water is boiling drop the potatoes in and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the potatoes or you will end up with a really gross mush. Once the potatoes are done cooking drain the water and let the potatoes sit for a few minutes. While the potatoes are cooking and the oven is heating up mix the cauliflower, oil, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and place on a baking sheet. I added a little roasted garlic and seasoned salt to this batch. Mmmmm!

Put the cauliflower into the oven and cook for 30 minutes turning the pieces half way through. Cook until they start to get a nice brown color and are softer.

Now for the gravy! Heat some oil on medium heat into a large heavy bottomed pan and throw the garlic in and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to stir and let the mushrooms start to shrink down. After about 5 minutes add the broth and wine and cook for another 3 minutes. Then add the flour, salt and pepper and mix until all the flour is absorbed into the liquid. Turn down the heat and continue to cook until the gravy starts to thicken up.

Once the sauce is thickened up remove from the heat and it's ready to serve.

Now back to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes and add the milk, cream cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth and silky. That's it!

 

I hope you enjoy one of our families favorite meals!

Bon appetite!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Taco Stew to Feed the Masses

On the menu tonight was taco stew served over a salad. The ingredients you will need are:

1 cup pearled barley (or brown rice)

2 cups vegetable broth

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 can of black beans (drained)

1 can of tomato sauce

Optional add dried chiles and hot sauce

 

Start by bringing 2 cups of broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the barley and cook until tender about 30 minutes.

Once the barley is cooked pour in the can of tomato sauce, the can of black beans, the taco seasoning, and if you choose, add the dried chiles and hot sauce and stir to combine.

 

Then you just simmer for about 10 minutes and serve. Remember to remove the chiles before eating.

Enjoy!

Pro tip: make extra and store in the fridge overnight for a delicious taco filling.

See you tomorrow.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Day 4

Tonight was southern fried Sunday. On the menu was batter fried tofu. It is the crispiest, flakiest, tastiest crusts I have ever eaten. To start you will need:

1 pkg extra firm tofu

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

1 can vegetable broth

Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Enough oil for frying

Start by pressing your tofu, the longer the better. This really helps get the water out and helps the marinade infuse better.

After the tofu is well pressed let it marinate in about 3/4 of the can of broth. Reserve about 1/4 can for later.

Next set up your dry ingredients. Mix of half the flour, half of the bread crumbs, half of the baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne into a large bowl.

Next mix the other half of the flour, bread crumbs, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne into another large bowl. Add the 1/4 of reserved broth to the mixture to make a loose batter. It should resemble thin pancake batter. Add extra water Or broth if the batter is too thick.

Tip: add some hot sauce to the batter for some added flavor and heat.

Next get your oil started. Dredge the tofu into the wet mixture until well coated. Then dredge it in the dry mixture. Once the pieces are well coated, drop the pieces into the hot oil. Cook until the outside of the tofu is crispy and lightly browned.

Not necessary but I like to let the finished tofu sit on a folded paper towel to absorb some of the excess oil.

once finished, plate and enjoy.

 

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Moving on

Today was busy busy busy. Had to clean up my old apartment and turn in the keys.

Gainesville treated me well, now on to bigger and better things.

With that said, Peace out. See you tomorrow

Friday, July 13, 2012

Job offer

Today was a hell of a day. I started off the day sitting and waiting for a phone call i thought would never come. Finally after putting in a few calls to the office I got the news I waited for, I got the job. I am now a dialysis nurse. The feeling is surreal.

Celebrations were in order and we ate in style at the Macaroni Grill. Eggplant parmesan for me, and a garlic and olive oil pasta with grilled artichokes, asparagus, and broccolini for my lovely girlfriend. The meal was great and I couldn't be happier that I got the job......now to find a good job for my girl.

Until next time....

 

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Introduction

I've never been much of a writer before but I thought I would give blogging a shot. My goal is to write something, even if it's small, everyday. Hopefully with some patience and support this blog will catalog my life.
Enough about the goal of the blog, now I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 26 years old and just graduated from nursing school. I have been a vegetarian now for half my life. I am an avid foodie and will be sharing my love of food with you as I continue along. I also love to create, build, tinker, learn, explore and just about anything DIY. So stay tuned for some cool projects in the future.
Signing off....