Obligatory Granola Recipe (Since this is a veggie blog and all . . . )

You knew it was coming, didn't you?  I know enough to know that a vegetarian blog ain't worth a thing if it ain't got that . . . granola recipe.  Mine was born of necessity (I have been snacking on complete junk during the school day and these hips don't lie) and the fact that I had exactly enough tahini to make this batch.

This recipe is not as sweet as traditional granola.  I used pomegranate syrup instead of agave syrup because I thought it would be a nice complement to the tahini.  Don't have pomegranate syrup?  Use agave syrup or honey for you non-vegans.   In fact, the best thing about granola is you can switch it up with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Change out the fruits and nuts with whatever you have and it's still a healthier choice than my snack du jour (potato chips or cookies).  Be careful, though: granola is still pretty high in calories with all the fruit and good stuff packed in there.  So, if you're counting, try to keep your serving to about a half cup or use the granola to sprinkle over vegan yogurt or ice cream.   I ate the entire batch during one stressful day with my 7th grade students, so, sadly, my hips are still a disappointment.

2 cups oatmeal
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup pomegranate syrup (or agave syrup or maple syrup or honey for non-vegans)
1/2 cup soy nuts (or peanuts, or-- you know, whatever you want.  Granola, People.  Not rocket science . . .)
3/4 cup dried figs, chopped into chunks
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (which, basically, are just dark chocolate chips, Folks.  Beautiful, beautiful dark chocolate . . .)
1/2 cup raisins

1.  Mix the oatmeal, soy nuts, figs and cinnamon in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the pomegranate syrup and tahini.
2.  Add the tahini mixture to the fruit and oatmeal; stir to coat.
3.  Spread the mixture out evenly on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
4.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, give it a good stir, and return it to bake for another 15 minutes.
5.  Remove the granola from the oven and add the raisins.  Add the chocolate chips (if using).  If you want the chocolate to melt, add them to the granola while it is still hot, stir it up good, and spread it out again to cool.  Otherwise, wait to add the chips until the granola is completely cooled.  Once it is cooled completely, your granola will be crunchy and delightful.  Store it for a few days in an airtight container.

Read more »

Went to a World Famous Burger Joint and Left with the Ingredients for Vegan Hash

 

I have become a connoisseur of French fries.  Like many vegetarians who date a meat-eater,  French fries are my go-to meal in case I can't find anything on a menu I can eat.  For about 9 months now, my boyfriend has talked about Five Guys, a hamburger chain down the street from us which has, I am told, the world's greatest burgers.  We checked it out on our last date night and judging from all the posted signs in the joint, they DO have the best burgers on earth.  They also have amazing fries, and we left with a take out bag filled with my boyfriend's bacon cheeseburger and my Cajun fries.  My small order of fries filled the bag, and in spite of stuffing my face for a solid 20 minutes once we got home, I was still left with a big ol' pile of fried taters.  I put them in the fridge and went to sleep dreaming of how I could use them in a hash for breakfast the next morning. 

 

 

My leftover Cajun fries from Five Guys, diced and ready to go . . .

 

 

 

This hash was born from leftovers and vegetables that I needed to use before they turned ugly on me.  It was delicious (and vegan) as I prepared it, but if you'd like, add some shredded cheese and top the bowl of hash with an over-easy egg.

 

 

 

 

 

1 1/2 cups leftover seasoned fries, cubed (I used Cajun fries from Five Guys)

1/2 cup diced shallots (or onions)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped Brussels sprouts

2 fistfuls of fresh spinach, chopped

1 kumato, diced (or tomato)

1 tablespoon diced garlic

1 teaspoon diced hot peppers (optional)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste



 

 

 

 

 

1.  Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and add shallots, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to get fragrant and shallots are cooked down.

2.  Add kumato (or tomato) and nutritional yeast and cook down until most of the liquid has evaporated.

3.  Add spinach and cook down for about 10 minutes more or until most liquid has evaporated. 

4.  Remove vegetables from the pan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Fry the leftover potatoes until they are hot and start to crisp up a bit.

5.  Return vegetable mixture to pan, mix well, and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Read more »

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (because I still have a pantry full of Thanksgiving stuff!)

Please tell me I'm not the only one who over-buys canned pumpkin for the Thanksgiving cooking frenzy.  This year I made pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin rolls AND this bread for Thanksgiving, and even with all that mad baking, I STILL found another can of pumpkin in my cupboard this morning.  I found a cup of Craisins left from Thanksgiving, too.  So there you are . . . another sweet bread for the blog and my house smells like pie spice (I'm waiting for this kids to come up from their X-Box boy-cave and ask where the Tofurkey is . . . ). 

This version is vegan thanks to the flax meal substitution for eggs.  You can use two eggs in place of the flax meal if you'd prefer, but the flax honestly makes this cake very moist and yummy.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons golden flax meal mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water

2 cups Florida Crystals Natural Sugar

1 3/4 cups (15 ounce can) pure pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup Craisins

1 cup chopped pecans (optional) 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Combine flour, spices, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flax mixture, sugar, pumpkin, and oil; beat until just blended.

3. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in cranberries. Fold in pecans if using.

4. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 9” x 5” loaf pans.  Pans will be about half full.

5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (check at 50 minutes so you don't overbake). Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. 2 loaves.

 

 

 

Read more »

Banana Bread for my Bambino

 

 

We go through bananas like crazy in my house.  My sons and I live 40 minutes away from where they go to school and I teach, and the promise of a banana for breakfast gets my 4-year-old out of bed at 5:30 in the morning (he actually just asked for a banana as I write this post . . . too funny).   In spite of living with a potassium junkie, I occasionally have overripe bananas stinkin' up the joint.  I made this version of grandma's bread using candied pecans I had left over from my Thanksgiving baking.  With or without the pecans, this is a hearty bread and reaches it's maximum yumminess a day after baking.  It also freezes well; I pre-slice and freeze so I have it handy for a quick breakfast.

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 large, overripe bananas, puréed

3 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 tablespoons vanilla extract

3/4  tablespoon maple extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4  cups toasted walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup candied pecans, chopped fine
(toss about a cup of whole pecans with 2 tablespoons of honey.  Layer on waxed paper and toast in the oven at 200º until honey hardens up a bit.  Cool completely then process in a food processor until there are no large chunks)

 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Cream shortening and sugar with mixer. Add eggs and cream again. Add extracts and mix to combine. Add bananas a bit at a time.

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining dry ingredients together. Slowly fold flour mixture into banana mixture. When all flour is wet, mix batter with hand mixer; don't overmix.  Gently fold in walnuts and pecans.

4.  Divide evenly into 2 greased bread pans (batter will be thick). Bake for about 1 hour at 350º. Reduce heat to 300º and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

 

 

Read more »

Tofu Scramble (with Saffron, Because I'm Worth It!)

I'm in love with my new Tofu Presser, and to celebrate I made a tofu scramble just for little old me. It was my first time making one on my own. Now, to all the experienced vegans out there that's about the equivalent of saying to a non-veg that you scrambled an egg for the first time. It's not exactly the hardest dish to prepare.

Even so, I decided to make a scramble that I thought was blog-worthy. As I opened my spice cabinet to grab the tumeric, I noticed my bottle of saffron right next to it. "A bottle of saffron" is an inaccurate description. What I had was an empty bottle save one wee little pinch of incredibly-expensive red filaments. I pushed the tumeric aside and decided to splurge- it was the first day of my 30-Day Vegan Challenge, after all (I'm trying it on my own, without following a set program. Wish me luck!).

Tofu Scramble with Saffron, Spinach and Hashbrowns
¼ block extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into chunks
1 cup Imagine Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
½ tablespoon minced (packed in oil) garlic
1 pinch saffron
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 handful fresh baby spinach
1 (individual size) prepared hash brown (optional)

I’ve started relying a lot on vegetable broth in place of oil or other fats when sautéing. I love the flavor it adds, and when it reduces down it’s really a nice complement to whatever is in the pan. Using it for this recipe made the tofu somewhat creamy, and very much like the texture of well-made scrambled eggs.



1. Heat the broth, garlic and saffron over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reduces by about half.
2. Add the nutritional yeast, stirring to mix well.
3. Add the tofu, breaking some of the chunks up to get to a “scrambled” consistency, stirring to coat with the broth mixture.
4. When tofu is almost heated through, add fresh spinach to pan, gently mixing it in as it wilts down.
5. Break up the hash brown and add to scrambled tofu. Salt and pepper to taste (taste it first- you may not need the salt). Serve with homemade bread slathered with Earth’s Balance.

Read more »