Sunday Cupboard Soup: Tomato Vegetable w/Pasta
this was the result of a long weekend. i had almost no energy to cook last night, so we just started grabbin’ shit and tossing it in. it was tasty, and done in 30 minutes! perfect.
The Hubby’s Tomato Veggie soup with Stars
makes 6 giant bowls
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 ox can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 onion, diced
3 giant cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, halved and sliced
1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 c green beans, 1 inch pieces
3 sundried tomatoes, snipped into teeny pieces
4 c stock
1/4 pasta, we used stelline (stars) but, i think a larger shape like rhombi, or even radiatore would be preferred if its handy.
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
1 bay leaf
1 tsp parsley
crushed red pepper- optional
salt/pepper to taste
in a large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions in olive oil until pale golden. add the garlic and cook until fragrant. add the carrots and zucchini and cook until softened. dump in (i’m being sooooo technical today) everything but the pasta and the lemon and bring to a simmer. put the lid on and cook about 15 minutes, or until everything is soft, but still has a slight crunch to it. add the pasta, and simmer until cooked through, about 10 more minutes. at this point, depending on how much liquid is soaked up by the pasta and the tomatoes, you may need a cup or so of water. i like my soups with a low stock content, but i hate the word stoup, and aside form just now, refuse to use it. anyways, add the zest, stir and serve.
tomato vegetable soup with stars!
The Lazy Vayguns French Onion Soup *crockpots ahoy!
French Onion Soup. sounds fancy doesn’t it? what if i told you that a steaming hot bowl of mahogany-hued goodness required almost no skill, little work, and was damn-near foolproof? i know, it IS amazing! this is great for entertaining, or to come home to after a hard days work. your home will smell amazing for days. serve up with garlic toasts, or go further by serving up in soup crocks topped with toasts and soy cheeze. i recommend shelling out for daiya, teese, or follow your heart brand if you go that route, they actually taste good and melt well under the broiler.
The Midwest Vayguns Lazy French Onion Soup
3 lbs, or about 6 large, softball sized onions
2 tbs earth balance
2-3 cups veggie stock
1 c white wine-dry
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt
pepper
another “so easy it hurts!” recipe. slice your onions into thin half moons. chilling the onions before hand will help keep you from looking like you watched the notebook, (from what i hear-honest) but i cant make any promises. a mandolin, or food processor will help make those ocular bullies slice faster, and more uniform, resulting in a more even texture.
place the onions in your crockpot with the earthbalance. either cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 10, depending on the days events. either way, they’re done when they’re the color of a dark leather handbag and are still just barely holding together. i leave mine for 8-10 and they’ve never burned (that’s why i use the crockpot).
now, grab a saucepan and dump in the wine, reduce over medium heat until 1/2 cup remains. add the first 2 cups of stock and bring to a simmer. whisk in the dijon, and pour into the crockpot. now, stir up all of the stuck on bits and mix well. taste, and add more stock, or just some salt and pepper. thyme tastes good in here, but the onions are already fairly sweet, so i just add the mustard and pepper. you can also puree up to 1/2 of it if you dislike all of the stringy onions. you can also reserve some, reduce it by 1/3, whisk in some soy creamer and blend for homemade cream of onion soup. its absolutely amazing in green bean casserole!
spoon into soup crocks and cover with a piece of crusty bread thats either covered in earthbalance, or soy cheeze and broil. yum!
before....
after! 10 hours later
the big finish!
Sexxay Nom Nom Nom….part?
january catch up edition.
i don’t know what i’ve been up to, or why i haven’t been posting. i think it was the whole “post-holiday-i-dont-wanna-do-nuthin” phase or something. but, none the less, i have been cooking, just not blogging. oops.
so, without further ado, heres the usual “post-8-million-catch-up-photos-with-no-recipes-dead-beat-vaygun-dad-syndrome” with a tasty birthday cake recipe! vayguns have birthdays too!
A Very Vaygun Berfday Cake w/Ganache and Berries
Vanilla Cupcakes
from VCTOTW
(doubled cupcake recipe, in case you were curious)
1 c vanilla soy yogurt
1 1/3 c vanilla soy or almond milk
1/2 c applesauce
6 tbs canola oil
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
preheat the oven to 350
grease and flour two 9″ cake pans
whisk together the yogurt and everything up to the vanilla. now sift together all of the dry ingredients and mix into the wet, without beating it to death 
pour the batter equally between the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. about 25-30 minutes. let cool before decorating.
Filling/Topping/Ganache
1/2 c seedless raspberry or strawberry preserves
1/3 c chocolate chips (non dairy of course)
2 tbs pure maple syrup
1/4 c almond milk
1/2 c sliced strawberries
heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles just begin to break around the edges. remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate chips until smooth. now add the maple. set aside to cool down.
assemble!
spread the jam between the 2 layers, and stick the cakes together. spoon, drizzle, and spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake-dont worry about perfection. now, dust w/ confectioners sugar if you’re feelin fancy, and dot with the berries!
*i’m actually not a huge frosting/buttercreme person-i scrape it off- so this was my pared-down, “not too sweet”but super yummy birthday request.
1. add the jam
2. ganache!
voila`! my vegan birthday cake!
and now, the pics!
minestrone
orange/balsamic glazed tempeh w/kale and shallot rissotto
bell peppers stuffed w/veggie sausage, criminis and cous cous
veggie loaf! and more kale!
potato rolls from the veganomicon
vegan helter skelter from the hardtimes cafe
vegan migas from the hardtimes cafe
simple pesto noodles with shredded zuchinni
broccoli raabe with sage and white beans
Chipotle Spiced Sweet Potato Croquettes
this started as a use for leftovers, but turned seriously delicious -and substantial! i served these spicy little patties with steamed kale and garlicky green beans for a light, yet filling dinner, but you could also use them as a starter. i didn’t get a photo,but don’t let that sway you- these are simple and tasty! swap the regular tempeh for smoky tempeh strips (fakin bacon), or veggie sausage for a breakfast side. for extra crunch, roll in breadcrumbs or ground nuts before pan frying.
Chipotle Spiced Sweet Potato Croquettes
makes 8
1 package tempeh, any flavor, cubed
1 cup veggie stock
1 tbs soy sauce
1 medium sweet potato, cubed-about 1 1/2 cups
1 tsp en r g egg replacer powder, or corn starch
1/2 tsp chipotle powder, or to taste
salt and pepper
roast the sweet potato for 45 minutes @ 400 degrees, or until soft and browned around the edges and set aside. poach the tempeh in the veggie stock and soy sauce until the liquid is absorbed. add a tablespoon of oil and gently pan fry until golden brown. crumble the tempeh into the potato, and mash with the starch to make a slightly lumpy dough. add some salt and pepper, and chipotle powder to taste. mix thoroughly. pan fry both sides on medium heat with a tablespoon of oil, until golden brown and slightly firm. serve at once.
Cherry Peach Crumb Pie!
yes i did, i made another pie. after dutifully bringing the last one upstairs to the landlord i felt a little emptiness inside. turns out the emptiness was in my stomach. but, it was 9pm and there was no way i was going to trek my booty to the co-op and start another. but i did today! todays pie was 1 and a half times the size of yesterdays, thanks to extra fruit and a deep dish 9″ pie pan. i still used the same amount of crumbs and dough, but eyeballed the extra sugar and flour used to coat and thicken the fruit. i also added almost 40 extra minutes to the baking time. oh, and i swapped the raspberries for cherries cuz thats how i roll.
if you make this version, follow the same instructions for the raspberry peach crumb pie, but use 2 bags of peaches, and 2 10oz bags of cherries. for the thickener/sweetener use
1 c sugar
1/3 c + 2 1/2 tbs all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
vegan cherry peach crumb pie
Fancy Sexay Sandwiches!
ah, the sandwich. i seem to always overlook these tasty hand-held delights because more often than not, they consist of PB&J, or are a last minute fix while grocery shopping at the wedge. well, monday was “cheap date night” for the hubbs and i, and by cheap date night i mean “sandwiches in the car on the way to 5$ movie night at AMC where the popcorn is vegan friendly and has free refills” night. so, i had to make some tasty-ass sandwiches! i took inventory of the fridge and found a few odds and ends: tofu, pesto, and roasted red pepper cream cheeze spread. perfect! i used my george forman mini grill thingy as a panini press and i have to say, it was a damn fine sandwich. and fancy too!
Fancy Marinated Tofu Sandwiches
makes 2
4 slices whole wheat bread
2 tbs earth balance
1/4 tsp garlic powder
black pepper, a few pinches
1/4 c pesto
1/4-1/2 c roasted red pepper cream cheeze*
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 small bell pepper, thinly sliced
spinach leaves
1/2 lb extra firm tofu, cut into 8-12 slices
marinade
1/4 mushroom stir fry sauce
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp agave or maple syrup
pinch nutritional yeast
roasted red pepper cream cheeze
makes a great cracker/veggie spread and dip
3/4 c packed, drained, roasted red peppers
1 tub tofutti better than cream cheese
1/2 tsp each onion and garlic powder
salt and pepper
dried shallots if you have them, 1/4 tsp
pulse together in a food processor until a few small bits of pepper remain. add some of the oil from the jar if its too thick.
sandwich time!
mix marinade ingredients and set aside. mix earth balance, garlic powder and black pepper, and set aside.
combine the onion and a couple tablespoons of oil in a small pan over medium heat. cook until deeply golden and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. add the bell pepper and cook until softened.
in a large non stick pan, heat the tofu on medium low and cook without turning, until the underside is pale yellow and staring to firm up. turn the heat up to medium high and cook, turning the tofu every 2-4 minutes, until golden brown and firm. pour the marinade/sauce over the tofu and cook until the pieces are coated and starting to stick.
turn on your fancy panini machine, mini grill, or a clean frying pan.
use your garlic pepper “butter” to coat one side of each slice of bread. smear pesto on one piece, and the red pepper spread on the other. now add a layer of spinach, half of the veggies, and the tofu. if you use a sandwich press, or a 2 sided grill, the bread will crisp up before the spinach wilts.now throw your sandwich onto the grill/pan and press down. cook until crispy and golden brown. woo hoo! fancy sandwich time!
sexy tofu sandwich
Raspberry Peach Crumb Pie
amazing vegan peach rasperry crumb pie
wowzers, did i have a baking conundrum today! i had been planning on baking the landlords (who live upstairs) a pie for the holidays because they’re just so darn nice. i realized (thanks steve! lolz) that the holidays are long gone, so, i had better get my arse in gear and get baking! i had grabbed some frozen fruit on a whim at the grocery store, a bag of peaches, and a bag of raspberries. i got off of work early today so i figured, pie time, right? nope. sort of. my recipe for a full on, double crusted peach berry pie called for 4 pounds of peaches, and i only had 1, 2 if you count the berries! so then i decided “what the hell, i’ll make a crumble”, and then realized i was out of oats! FAHK! so i did what i always for when i need to do crazy baking adjustments. or need the go-ahead to try something odd-balled: i called my mommy! our conclusion? a spin off of her dutch apple pie recipe. its a single pastry pie that thankfully, has an oat-free crumb topping making it the perfect hybrid to take care of my too-little-fruit-no-oats roadblock! now, if you’re wondering why you can’t/shouldn’t make a pie with a skimpy amount of filling, it’s because the fruit will condense when baked but the crust won’t, leaving you with a very unattractive, mis-shaped pie that will only further highlight its skimpiness. the crumb, on the other hand, will lower with the filling, eliminating fruit-crust gaps. on a final note, use a shallow pie pan, not a deep dish m’kay?
wowzers, that was long-winded, huh?
Raspberry Peach Crumb Pie
makes one 9″ pie
1 16 oz bag frozen peaches
1 12 oz bag frozen raspberries
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
bottom crust
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 c chilled earth balance, cut into small pieces
1/4 ice water
crumb topping
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chilled earth balance, cut into pieces
first, make the bottom crust
combine everything but the water in your food processor and pulse until crumbly. now slowly pulse in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until it forms a ball. roll into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill. if you do it the old fashioned way, use a pastry blender to cut the “butter” into the flour until it resembles coarse sand. add half of the water and start to mix gently to form a dough, adding water as needed until it gathers well and is smooth. wrap and chill.
now ready your fruit!
set your fruit in a bowl on the counter and let thaw halfway. i suppose i should have told you to do that before making your crust. whoops. once its half thawed, sprinkle on the flour, sugar, and cinnamon and mix well.
crumbs!
mix your flour and sugar together. use a pastry blender (food processor will ruin this part) to cut the “butter” into the flour until it looks like crumbly peas. toss in the fridge while you work on rolling out the crust.
preheat the oven to 450!
roll out your chilled dough until its about 1/4″ thick. drape onto your pie plate and gently press down. gather the edges and flute. dock/prick your dough with a fork.
now, you can toss all of your filling in and call it a day, but i’m an anal spaz. i chose to pick out the peaches and place them into the pan first, making a pretty spiral out of them. granted, no one will know but me, but it keeps the pies height uniform and makes it easier to cut and serve. anyways, get your fruit and all of the coating on it into the crust and smooth out. now sprinkle on a nice thick layer of topping. cover the edges of your crust with foil.
bake for ten minutes at 450, turn the oven down to 350 and bake for 45-60 minutes or until super bubbly and brown. take the foil off halfway, 20 minutes after you’ve turned the oven down. if this takes longer, its because your fruit wasnt thawed enough. no worries, just keep checking every 5 minutes and fight the urge to turn up the heat!
spiral out the peaches first
spread on the berries and sprinkle with the crumbs
bake until bubbly and brown and eat!
Ziti Primavera
i haven’t been able to stop thinking about the ravioli i made for christmas. i had been thinking about it so much that i wanted to give it another go this week, but, i cannot find those damn potsticker wrappers! *note to self: go to hugo, stop at festival and buy a pile of them to freeze. mwah ha ha ha ha!
ok. so i couldn’t make more ravioli but i still was craving pasta. and green beans. and bechamel. and i didnt want the trouble of lasagna noodles, so i decided to give ziti a go-round. the results were so good! chewy whole wheat noodles were tossed with crunchy green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, tofu ricotta, and smothered in cashew bechamel and baked until bubbly and browned. this recipe makes a ton of food, making it a good dish for pot-lucks or feeding your friends.
Ziti Primavera
serves 8
1 lb whole wheat Rigatoni, or Penne
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tsp cashew butter
1- 28oz can of chunky tomato sauce plus 1 150z can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 tsp each, oregano, basil, rosemary
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs ground cashews, or cashew butter
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut into thirds
1 small red onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 1/2 c almond, or another milk alternative
1 tsp lemon juice, or white wine vinegar
3 tbs flour
2 tbs earth balance, or oil
2 tbs cashew butter
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp each onion and garlic powder
salt and pepper
preheat your oven to 375. bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta for about 8-10 minutes, or until 3/4 of the way done. put 2 tbs oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat. saute the onions and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. add the green beans, mushrooms and bell pepper and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid . add the oregano, basil, rosemary, crushed red pepper, and both the sauce and drained tomatoes. mix well, and stir in the pasta.
in a food processor combine the tofu, 1 tbs nutritional yeast , 1 tsp cashew butter, salt and pepper to taste, and blend until smooth. set aside.
in a medium saucepan, combine earth balance and flour over medium heat to form a roux. heat for a few minutes or until bubbly, and whisk in the remaining cashew butter. slowly whisk in the almond milk. add the nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powder, and bring to a low boil. simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. add the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
spoon one half of the pasta mixture into the bottom of a large casserole, or lasagna pan. smooth the tofu over the pasta, and pour the rest of the pasta over the tofu. spoon the bechamel over the pasta, and smooth . cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbling. remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the sauce is browned around the edges. let stand for ten minutes before serving.
sexay layered pasta close-up shot
creamy vegan ziti!
Crimini Ravioli with Basil Walnut Pesto
i’ve always wanted a pasta rolling attachment for my kitchen aid mixer. i’ve dreamed of making fresh linguine, ravioli, and my own lasagna noodles; but alas, the attachment is around $150 and my little pockets can’t spare that much change. however, i found a handy little sumthin’ sumthin’ that made my holiday dinner a hit: potsticker wrappers. potsticker wrappers are essentially little sheets of pasta, and i found a brand that was egg free (thanks becca!). there are inexpensive, easy to use, and i look forward to discovering all of the ways i can manipulate them to put towards other recipes. the best part? you can make a friggin ton of these pillowy little pasta’s and freeze them for use later. brilliant!
Crimini Ravioli
makes 32, enough for 6-8 people
2 packages Wing Hing brand, or another egg free potsticker wrapper
8 large Crimini mushrooms, cut into 4 thick slices each
64 baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry
1/2 lb tofu
1 tbs ground cashews, or cashew butter
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 3 tbs water or milk alternative
Basil Walnut Pesto
3 cups packed, fresh basil
olive oil
2 hand-fulls, or maybe 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic
pinch salt
olive oil
Place all pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor. turn on high, and stream in enough olive oil to make a smooth sauce.
Place a tablespoon of oil into a large skillet and place over medium high heat. put about a half of the mushrooms into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. sear the mushrooms on both sides until deep golden brown and soft. repeat with remaining mushrooms and set aside.
Place tofu, nutritional yeast, and cashew butter in a food processor and blend until smooth. season with salt and pepper to taste. spoon into the corner of a plastic bag 0and snip off the corner.
Cover a section of your counter top with parchment paper and lay out 32 potsticker wrappers. on each wrapper place 2 spinach leaves, a teaspoon of tofu, and one mushroom. brush the edges of the wrapper with the cornstarch mixture and place another wrapper on top, pressing the edges firmly to seal. if you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and flute or crimp the edges! pop these onto a cookie sheet with parchment between the layers and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes, or however long it takes to boil a large pot of salted water. if you would like to eat these another day, freeze for 2 hours and then pop them into a freezer bag for storage.
Once the water boils, add the raviolis in batches of 8 and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pillowy and translucent. transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with a little pesto. repeat with the remaining pasta and serve with a little marinara, or another sauce of choice. *if cooking from frozen, simmer until the raviolis float, and then cook for about 20 seconds longer. weird, i know.
yum!
piping on the tofu ricotta
halfway there little buddies!
"transluscent and pillowy" aka creepy fried egg
vegan ravioli nom nom nom
Caramel Pecan Ice Cream
i started daydreaming while making seitan today. i took a mental inventory of the fridge and realized i had some leftover goodies from thanksgiving; mainly pecans, brown rice syrup, vanilla, and a bunch of almond milk. i then remembered that the wonderful, ice cream freeze-bowl attachment for my kitchen aid mixer was in the freezer, ready to go at the drop of the hat. i decided my sweet tooth was worth winging it, and i crafted some not-too-sweet, sticky, yummy, pecan ice cream!
if you dont have an ice cream maker of some sort, it will take a lot more elbow grease. if i remember ice cream 101, you have to freeze the batch while removing it to stir thoroughly every hour or so? look into it before you begin.
vanilla ice cream base
4 cups almond, or another non dairy milk
*1/2 cup en-r-g egg replacer
*2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
caramel pecan swirl
1 c pecans, chopped
1/2 c brown rice syrup
1/2 c agave nectar
1 tbs earth balance
2 tbs almond milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash salt
*i’m not sure, but i think i like the texture more when using 6 tbs total cornstarch, and no egg replacer. IMO, start with the all cornstarch version.
ice cream!
make sure your freeze bowl has been prepped according to manufacturers instructions! so, so crucial!
in a large sauce pan, bring the milk and sugar to a simmer. mix the egg substitute powder and cornstarch with enough water to make a thin slurry or sorts. add a few spoonfuls of the hot milk, whisking well, to temper. now carefully whisk all of the mixture into the milk and stir constantly until extremely thick. remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and stir well. its going to look a little, um, nasty and the consistency will be like that of a weird glue pudding. that is actually what you want, so don’t throw it out pour into a lasagne, or roasting pan and cool in the fridge.
caramel pecans!
in a non-stick pan, combine the syrups over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. add the earth balance, and simmer until the mixture starts to foam and cling to the pan when tilted. add the nuts, salt, milk, and vanilla. mix well and remove from heat once it simmers again. let cool completely.
freeze!
get your machine ready! make sure the custard is completely cool (and cold!) before proceeding! freeze the custard according to the manufacturers instructions. when there is only a few minutes left, drop the pecans in, a spoonful at a time. one all the pecans have been added, remove and spoon the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
vegan caramel pecan ice cream!
