VeganMoFo Day 08: Sprouts!

Sprouts totally excite me! And they're so CUTE! Some serious magic here; Soak your beans overnight, drain the next morning, and then leave them out in a jar covered with cheesecloth on your counter for a few days (I usually tip the jar on it's side, so there is maximum air exposure). Take care to rinse them a few times a day (I usually do it when I get up in the morning, when I get home from work, and then before I go to bed). They grow so quick too! The final sprouts on my salads were after 3 days, but I guess that depends on where you live, humidity, etc. This week, I sprouted lentils and pinto beans, but the sky is the limit (except black beans, I heard they're not so good for you, but I could be completely wrong). Even nuts! I've yet to try those.

VeganMoFo Day 4: Grilled Cheez and Tomato Soup

I've been wanting to try homemade tomato soup for awhile now, but I can't bring myself to make soup in the summer and I'm not so into the cold soups. This week was seasonably cooler, and was perfect for a yummy soup/sammich combo for dinner. Tomato soup automatically goes with grilled cheese, and I had been wanting to try the Ooey Gooey Grilled Cheez recipe from the Uncheese Cookbook. This dinner was written in the stars, my friends.

I didn't follow a recipe for the tomato soup, just kinda winged it, but here's a loose list of ingredients that I used:
2 large and 1 small heirloom tomatoes
2 1/2 cups veggie broth (homemade!)
1 roasted red pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 small or 1 medium red onions
Basil, thyme, sea salt, pepper to taste

I blended everything up and simmered on the stovetop for about 30-45 min., adding a little soymilk in towards the end for some creaminess. Nik thought it was thin, but he's used to canned tomato soup with milk, while I prefer it on the thinner side with water or broth.

Grilled Cheez was yummy!

VeganMoFo Day 6-Apple-Pear Bread

This is a childhood favorite bread, that my Mom used to make every summer, with the bounty from our white peach tree in the yard. I needed to use up the ridiculous amount of apples and pears that I have already started accumulating (seriously! Need to make a pie soon!), so I decided to substitute the peaches and make this lovely sweet bread.



Apple-Pear Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:
5 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 TBS baking powder
2 tsp salt
6 TBS vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups soy milk
2 egg replacer (I used ener-g)
2 cups chopped apples and pears
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix dry ingredients together in a (very)large bowl. Add remaining wet ingredients and mix gently. Bake in two greased loaf pans at 350 F for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. This is a really, really moist bread, so I usually refrigerate it so it lasts longer!

VeganMoFo Day 5: Stuffed Potato Cakes

These were so easy ! I just boiled some potatoes and mashed them all up with sea salt and some herbs. I sauteed some kale and bok choy, that I needed to use up from my CSA, with some red onions and garlic for the filling. Make two flat 2" circles with the potatoes, spoon some filling in the center and seal another potato circle on top, dusting in a little flour after. Fry in a pan with some olive oil until golden brown on each side and wha-la! See, easy! I ate it with some spicy brown mustard a'la a knish, but this would be really yummy with some gravy. In fact, I want to make some with a mushroom filling and some gravy on top. These could also be cute little party appetizers if you made the smaller, in a more ball shape. Nom nom.

VeganMoFo: Iron Chef Challenge #1-Okra and Horseradish

It's Iron Chef time! Like last year, we're going to make this a two-ingredient challenge, with a week to make it. Basic rules are just to make sure and use both ingredients, but anything goes after that! Sweet, savory, whatever floats your boat. This is just for fun, so no winners or anything, just a friendly challenge. Post your results here by 7pm (eastern time) next sunday, and I'll highlight some on my blog, along with the next challenge info.

Good ol' random # generator picked the ingredients this week, from this lovely list, and the results are Okra and Horseradish!

Good luck!

VeganMoFo Day 4: Pickle Day!

Today was pickle day around my apartment! I've been experimenting with refrigerator pickles in the last few months, and I thought I'd share with you my recipe I have been working with. I love that you can pickle almost any veggie! So far I have done cucumbers, beets, radishes, cabbage, garlic, and onions. Mmm. I think the grape leaves are key for really crisp pickles.

Garlic Dill Pickles (Fills approx. 3 old pickle jars)

Ingredients:
2 cups vinegar
6 cups water
4-6 gloves garlic
2 TBS. Coriander
2 TBS. Whole peppercorns
1 - 1 1/4 cup salt
2 cups loosely packed fresh dill

2 grape leaves per jar
Various things to pickle: cucumbers, radishes, beets, cabbage, etc. chopped to fill 3 jars, leaving a little room for brine, etc.

Directions:
1. Sterilize jars by submerging them under boiling water for a minute or two. I use a long wooden spoon to scoop them in and out of the water. Careful! Don't forget the tops too.
2. Combine top ingredients (not the grape leaves and not your veggies), in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-8 minutes.
3. While boiling, stick two grape leaves in the bottom of each jar, and place chopped veggies on top.
4. Pour boiling brine into jars, filling almost to the top, leaving a little air space. Close jars and let cool.
5. Refrigerate!

I usually try some after 1 week, but they definitely get more intense as the weeks go by. Play around with ingredients! I added some ginger in the ones I made today.

VeganMoFo Day 3:Change of Seasons

Ah, fall. One of my favorite things about the changing of seasons is the changes that occur at the farmer's market. I took some pictures at the Union Square Farmer's Market recently on a nice fall day. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that farmer's markets are the happiest places in the world. Have a good Saturday!

VeganMoFo Day 2: Sushi Time!

I haven't made sushi in a long time and I've been getting lots of edamame in my CSA lately, so my thoughts have definitely been on some yummy sushi rolls. I have some homemade pickled beets, cucumbers, and garlic (which I will get to at a later post!) and I thought it might be a killer idea to make some pickled sushi rolls! Did not disappoint! The other roll was marinated tofu, avocado, red onion, and red pepper. A bit on the boring side compared to the pickled roll, but there is a reason classics are classics. That goo on the edamame is the sea salt dissolved, not...goo.