the vegan spoon
Grilled Asparagus!
After a long, cold winter, the first of the summer veggies are sprouting! My parents have an asparagus patch in their yard that’s been prolific for more than 20 years now…and every year, the spears come back thicker and tastier than the year before.
My mom gave me a huge bag of the stalky wonders yesterday, so I dusted off my lil’ grill, fired it up, and got to cookin’. All you need is asparagus spears, a little oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Snap each spear off at the end (the bottoms get woody and stringy and aren’t terribly fit to eat). Put spears in a bowl, drizzle with a little oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat grill to medium and put asparagus directly on grates. Cook on one side for about 5 min, or until they start to brown. Flip the spears over with tongs and cook another 5 min. Remove from grill.
That’s it. Eat up my friends…fresh asparagus does not stick around long!
Asian Awesomeness
I don’t know a better title for this dish, because there was a lot going on, it was mostly Asian inspired, and it was all awesome. I was originally planning on ginger black bean tacos, but it morphed into a less Mexican/more Asian concoction in my head, and couscous quickly replaced the corn tortillas I had envisioned. The vibrant colors were only outdone by the mouthwatering flavors. This was some serious stuff!
Peachy Couscous
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup veggie broth
1/3 cup fresh or frozen peaches, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Heat small skillet or saucepan to med high (add a little oil if the pan tends to stick). Add couscous and cook 3 to 5 min, stirring occasionally, until couscous is toasted. Add veggie broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender. Turn off heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
Seaweed Veggie Medley
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup mirin
1/8 to 1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup nori strips, torn/crumbled
1/2 cup frozen corn
2/3 cup black beans
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Heat medium skillet to medium. Add onion and pepper and cook 7 to 10 min, until veggies start to brown and get tender. Add pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger and cook a couple minutes more. Add mirin and soy sauce to deglaze the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add nori strips, corn, and beans and cook a few more minutes, until veggies are heated through. Stir in green onion and cilantro…serve with peachy couscous and asian avocado dressing!
Asian Avocado Dressing
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/3 to 2/3 cup water (adjust as needed to desired consistency)
1 medium avocado, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 to 3 Tbsp soy sauce (to taste)
cayenne pepper and fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
The only other little addition to this meal was roasted brussels sprouts. Cover a small cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Drizzle some frozen sprouts with a little oil and toss them with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes, until caramelized on the bottom. I can’t get enough of brussels sprouts. Who woulda thunk my taste buds would come so far over the years?
So yeah, make all this stuff. Cuz it’s freaking awesome.
Vegan waffles…made from my brand new but really old waffle maker, courtesy of a local estate sale!
Veggie Sausage Hash…courtesy of Common Ground veggies, veggie burger mix with a sausagy addition of fennel and sage, and some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease!
Stuffed mushrooms and sweet roasted potato tots
My broken wrist hiatus is over! Tonight’s feast included big white mushrooms stuffed with a mix of sauteed onions, garlic, frozen spinach, toasted walnuts and balsamic vinegar…mixed with salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and cayenne…and all topped off with a sprinkle of Galaxy vegan mozzarella cheese (this kind melts so well!). Baked on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, and they were divine! Earthy, cheezy, and filled with the leafy green goodness we all know and love. With roasted sweet potato tots and fries on the side, hopping back into the vegan cooking and blogging world doesn’t get much better!
Super Bowl Goodies…but mostly wings
I’ve posted my vegan potato skin recipe here before. And the other interesting looking things covered in an interesting yellow sauce are the innards of the skins, mixed with veggie sausage, rolled into balls and baked for 45 minutes. The yellow sauce is my go-to vegan cheese. But enough about potatoes. The wings stole the show, and they’re stealing the majority of this blog post too. Enjoy!!
Ultimate Vegan Buffalo Wings
During this most recent Super Bowl season, I felt inundated by ads for wings. Apparently, there’s nothing quite like the sweet marriage of the big game and innocent little chickens’ body parts smothered in hot sauce. Not for me. But wait! I’d had insanely tasty vegan buffalo wings made from seitan at the Chicago Diner! With f’ing awesome ranch dressing! I’d tasted the incredibleness with my own mouth, and I was going to do it in my kitchen!
After searching the web high and low for Chicago Diner’s signature recipe for buffalo wings and ranch, I came up empty handed. So instead, I pieced together my own recipe with various online sources, and holy buffalo…these tasted SO similar to the Diner’s! They’re a tad involved and take some time, but all the steps are pretty easy…and trust me, the end result is worth every minute!
Step 1 – make seitan from scratch (recipe borrowed from the Post Punk Kitchen)
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 cup cold vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a microplane grater
For the simmering broth:
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
To make the simmering broth, fill a stock pot with the water, broth and soy sauce, cover and bring to a boil.
In the meantime, mix together gluten and yeast in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and combine with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has absorbed and partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands and knead for about 3 minutes, until it’s an elastic dough. Divide into 3 equal pieces with a knife and then knead those pieces in your hand to stretch them out. Let rest until the broth has come to a full boil.
Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the gluten pieces and partially cover pot so that steam can escape. Let simmer for 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Turn the heat off and take the lid off, let sit for 15 minutes.
Remove from broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle. Slice into “wing” sized pieces.
In a medium skillet (I use iron), add oil until there is a very thin layer covering the bottom. Heat skillet to medium and add about a third of the seitan pieces. Cook about 5 min on each side, until nicely browned. Repeat process with the rest of the seitan pieces, adding more oil to the skillet each time. These will be your wings.
Step 2 – make your hot sauce
2 cups Frank’s hot sauce
4 Tbsp vegan margarine
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
Other seasonings to make your own flavor blends
Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. I wanted to try a multitude of sauces, so once I had the base sauce made, I split it equally into four different bowls. To one, I whisked in about a Tbsp of curry. To another, 2 tsp of chipotle powder and 1 tsp of cumin. To a third, 1 tsp garlic powder and 2 tsp smoked paprika. To the last one, for a sweet kick, 1 to 2 Tbsp of sugar. Set aside for the baking process.
Step 3 – coat the wings
1 cup flour (I used buckwheat but any kind will do)
1 cup water
1/4 to 1/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce
Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 450. In a medium bowl, whisk ingredients together until a nice thick batter forms (adjust water or flour amounts as needed for consistency). Drop a few wing pieces at a time into the batter and toss a little with a fork until well coated. Place in an even layer in the dish. They can be smushed close together so they all fit. Bake for 15 to 20 min, until the coating has formed a nice crust on the wings. Remove from oven, pour some of your step 2 hot sauce in a thin, even layer on top of the wings (you’ll have sauce left over), and place under broiler for 5 min, until the sauce just starts to brown. Each quadrant of the wings got a different sauce. So there was a whole array to sample! Serve with ridiculous vegan ranch (below).
Step 4 – dip in ranch
1 cup vegan mayo (whatever kind you like)
½ cup almond or soy milk
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp dried dill
1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
Add all ingredients to blender or food processor and blend until smooth…the perfect way to round out a perfect vegan wing!
Step 5 - enjoy the f out of these
Potato Mushroom Soup
In the mood for a light dinner that feels warm and fuzzy in your belly on a cold winter’s eve? Make soup! This is a pretty basic recipe that’s chock full of veggie goodness. I also made some homemade oatmeal bread that was still fresh and warm for this bountiful feast. You couldn’t get cozier if you wrapped your stomach in a fluffy blanket.
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
10 oz mushrooms (whatever kind you like), sliced
1/2 cup sherry cooking wine
4 medium potatoes, cubed
4 to 6 cups low-sodium veggie broth (or sub half water)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 to 2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
guacamole and vegan bacos to garnish, optional
In a large iron skillet, saute onion, pepper, and carrot on medium until veggies start to brown and get tender, about 10 min. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 to 10 min, until mushrooms start to cook down. Add sherry wine to deglaze and let most of the liquid absorb/evaporate. Transfer to large pot, and add potatoes, corn, seasonings, and broth (use enough broth to cover all the veggies). Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and let simmer for about 30 min. Add in milk and, using an immersion blender, blend until a lot of the veggies are smooth, but there are still some chunks left. If desired, garnish with guac and bacos.
If you want this thicker, you can add a corn starch/water mixture during the simmer process. Whisk 1/4 cup corn starch with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water until smooth. Add to soup. Mmm mmm good! Can I say that?
it begins with a poof
and life is new
time is slow
passions grow
moving along
the pace picks up
what’s right
what’s wrong
where do i belong
here is green
there is greener
perhaps in between
a rainbow will beam
the colors bright
a life full of light
even as they fade
your flame flickers on
then poof
lights out
until a new dawn
in a flash
day becomes night
in a flash
dark becomes light
the world spins
at increasing speed
yet we race
as if in dire need
to get where?
the next week?
or year?
the more we rush
the end comes near
so eat and drink
and have cheer
tomorrow may not come
today is everything
it’s what’s here
Vegan Taco Madness
Some dinners are best served DIY style. Tonight, I made a bunch of random Mexican flavored stuff…and then took a little of everything and combined it into a giant taco salad.
I started with a warmed corn tortilla and topped that with some fresh salad greens and kale. Next came roasted broccoli, cauliflower, and onion. I chopped the veggies and tossed with canola oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and chipotle powder. I then baked at 425 for 25 minutes, until the veggies were browned and packed with roasty, toasty flavor.
On top of the veggies went a warm salsa. I simmered a large can of stewed tomatoes with some pinto beans, frozen corn, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, chipotle, and coriander in a medium saucepan on the stove. Mmmmm.
Sliced roasted red pepper was next in line. To roast a red pepper, simply turn a stove burner on medium high (if you have a gas stove), set one side of the pepper directly on the flame, and let it fully char on that side, flipping with tongs until the entire pepper is charred black. Put in a glass bowl and cover for 5 to 10 minutes so the pepper can cool. Using your hands, peel off the black char, stem, and seeds. Slice and serve!
The best topper to this gourmet salada? Crushed pumpkin seeds! I had about 1/3 cup of seeds that I tossed with oil, salt, garlic powder, chipotle, and cumin and roasted in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes. I whirred the seeds up in my blender after baking and they gave a super flavorful crunch to this already awesomeness of a salad.
Finishing touches were chopped green onion, vegan sour cream, and homemade guacamole. Sooooo good and pretty gosh darn healthy too!
Veggie Delight
This dinner truly celebrated the diversity that is the vegetable. Caramelized onions sauteed with local turnips, garlic, and kale married perfectly with a horseradish mustard dressing. Caraway roasted pumpkin and a loaded baked potato were the perfect complements. Flavors bursted. It was magical.
Caramelized Onions and Turnips
1 medium red onion, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
3 large turnips, peeled and chopped in chunks
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
1/2 cup sherry cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 to 1/2 cup horseradish mustard dressing
Heat a medium skillet to low. Add onion and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add turnip chunks and let sit on top of the onions for another 10 minutes. This will let the turnips start to tenderize and allow the onions to continue to caramelize. Increase heat to medium and add garlic and kale. Let cook 5 to 10 minutes, until kale is wilted and turnips are tender. Stir in sherry wine and let cook another 5 minutes or so, until the wine has evaporated. Stir in the mustard dressing and let simmer on low for 5 minutes. Great flavors and very little fat!
Horseradish Mustard Dressing
1/4 cup horseradish mustard
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp of your favorite flavored oil
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
Caraway Roasted Pumpkin
1 small pie pumpkin
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp ground caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
I often find pumpkins extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible, to slice through while raw. So first, put the entire pumpkin on a baking sheet and let it roast in the oven on 400 for 30 minutes. Let it cool (or use potholders), and slice the pumpkin in half, removing the stem, seeds, and most of the stringy stuff. Reserve the seeds to roast later (see vegan taco madness above). Rub the flesh of the pumpkin with the oil, and sprinkle with caraway seeds salt and pepper. Put the pumpkin flesh side down back on the baking sheet and put back in the oven to roast another 30 minutes until tender. Scoop all the flesh out of the shells once the pumpkin has cooled, and enjoy! It’s great with a little hot pepper sauce and a few drops of the horseradish dressing.
Loaded Baked Potato
This is about as simple as it gets. Poke a baked potato all over with a fork or sharp knife and wrap in foil. Bake at 400 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on how huge your potato is. Top with your favorite ingredients! I like Daiya havarti cheese, vegan sour cream, and vegan bacon bits. A delicious classic!
“Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.”
