Vegetable Panini

Delicious

Tom and I got married 2 years ago and when you get married you get a lot of stuff/crap. Granted it's crap that you want or at least you wanted it after two hours of walking around linen's and things with a laser gun (so fun), but soon you realize that maybe you don't need every appliance, bowl, and wine glass known to man. This is the case with our most highly debated appliance: The Panini Press! I wanted it more than life itself, Tom thought it was unnecessary. Needless to say it was only used once at our very popular "make your own panini party", but now that I'm vegan it is back and better than ever. We've used it a lot to make these delicious panini's.

The most important and delicious part of this sandwich is the black olive spread. I make it by combining kalmata olives, fresh garlic, basil, and olive oil in the food processor (another appliance we registered for). Spread this on half of your bread. For the picture above we used forcaccia.

For the filling we used roasted red peppers, sauteed portabello mushrooms, fresh spinach and fried eggplant. Once filed with your favorite topping press in panini press or place in skllet with a heavy pan on top to press and toast bread. Eat and enjoy.

Lasagna Pasta

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After the success of the lasagna earlier this month I was inspired to make something that incorporated the same flavors but was easier to make. I used to make this with sausage and ricotta so that was out of the question but this is really just as good!

Sauce:
I made a basic tomato sauce but added big mushrooms, olives, and frozen spinach in order to mimic the flavors of my lasagna. At the end of cooking I added meatless meatballs to simmer and warm through. You could also add your favorite fakey sausage.
Ricotta:
Pulse firm tofu, olive oil, and basil in food processor until crumbly in texture. Do not add fresh garlic like in previous recipes as the flavor will be too pungent. You could add roasted garlic but I added mine in the sauce.
After sauce is cooked take off the heat and fold in tofu ricotta. Serve over whole grain pasta.
Prep and cook time:45min

Sarah and John's Guacamole

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I'm honored to be a guest blogger on the site and contribute our guacamole recipe (as referenced in this post). We had a housewarming party last night and made a good amount of guac(4 avocados worth!), but it was devoured in less than an half an hour.


2 scallions (green onions), finely chopped
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, cored and finely chopped
4 avocados
juice of 2 limes (we like ours pretty limey)
a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro (to taste)
salt and pepper

Chop up the scallions, tomatoes and jalapenos first and put them in the bowl. Then, slice and chop up the avocados and put them in the bowl and immediately add the lime juice to prevent browning. Then, mix and mash until you reach your desired consistency, adding the cilantro, salt and pepper along the way. (You don't need to mash it that much; John prefers it to be more of a relish than really smooth). Cover with plastic wrap until you're ready to serve.

Tip: You can keep the avocado pits in the guacamole at the end which also makes the presentation interesting and keeps it from browning, but only one or two pits is really necessary. =)

Enchilladas

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I was intrigued by this soy chorizo which is a new product at Trader Joe's that came out about a month ago. I'm typically wary of "fake meat", but this was pretty popular with Tom and I admit it is good. I also think these would be great with just a veggies and black bean filling or with lentils. It is super cheap and easy to make and very satisfying as comfort food. If you don't like the refried beans used below just add your favorite beans to the filling.

Filling:
1 package soy chorizo
1 clove garlic
1/2 small can roasted green chilles spicy or mild
1/2 can diced tomatoes and jalepenos or chilles
2 or 3 diced scallions
handful chopped fresh cilantro
1 can vegan refried black beans (Amy's are sooooo good)
Flour or corn tortillas

Sauce:
1/2 small can roasted green chilles spicy or mild
1/2 can diced tomatoes and jalepenos or chilles
1 jar hot taco sauce
1 pinch cumin, peprika, and chille pepper or whatever spices you like
1 pinch cinnamon

Combine all sauce ingredients and let thicken on medium heat in a saucepan while making the filling.

Heat skillet and warm chorizo (unwrap chorizo from its plastic package). Add clove of crushed garlic. Add chilles and tomatoes and jalenpenos. Once warmed through add cilantro and scallions. Spread each tortilla with a thin layer of refried beans and add 3 or 4 tablespoons of chorizo fillng. Roll up and place seem-side down in a baking dish. Pour sauce on top and bake for 30 min at 350.

Prep: 15min
Cook: 30min

Italian Entertaining

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Spinach and Eggplant Lasagna
This lasagna is time consuming but well worth it. It is a crowd pleaser and in Tom's opinion "The best fake-out meal" thanks to the delicious tofu "ricotta".

Tofu Ricotta (adapted from "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch"):
One package of firm tofu
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons EVOO
4 or 5 leaves fresh basil
salt and pepper
1/2 package of defrosted frozen spinach (this is my edition and really makes it yummy)*

Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor until it is grainy in texture and a beautiful bright green. Refrigerate and save for later.

Eggplant:
Take one Italian eggplant and slice in 1/4 inch slices. Lay out on paper towels and sprinkle both sides lightly with salt. This will remove some of the bitterness by drawing out the bitter liquid inside the eggplant as well as season them. Let these sit for 30minutes to an hour to give off their liquid. Warm EVOO in a skillet and pan fry the eggplant untill light brown and nice and soft. This makes the eggplant smooth and delicious.

While the eggplant is salting (not a word) prep your sauce and boil a package of whole weat lagagna noodles. I made a sauce with onions, garlic, capers, kalmata olives, crushed red pepper and crushed tomatoes and fresh basil, but you can use a jar sauce if you're lazy (I'm judging you).

Layer the lasagna in a baking dish as follows:
a ladle of sauce on the bottom
noodles to cover
ricotta
fried eggplant
sauce (I like a lot)

Continue untill you have about 3 layers and end with noodles and a bit of sauce on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes with foil on top and then uncover for the last 15-20min. Let cool about 20min until you cut and serve.

Prep time: 60min
Cook Time: 60min and 20min cool time

Spinach Stuffed Mushroom
This is adapted from my grandmother's recipe that uses a lot of parmesian cheese. These are just as good and with the added benefit of spinach.

1 Package white mushrooms (you can use stuffing mushrooms but I wanted small ones)
1 shallot diced
2 cloves garlic
3 or 4 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup while weat bread crumbs
1/2 package of defrosted frozen spinach*

Clean mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems and reserve for later. Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet sprayed with pam and bake at 350 for 15 minutes to pre-cook them. They will give off some liquid which you should reserve. Set aside caps to cool.

Sautee diced stems and shallots in EVOO untill soft. Crush 2 cloves of garlic into the mixture. When it becomes fragrant add the white wine and mushroom liquid and cook down. Then add spinach. Turn off the heat and add bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be crumbly but wet enough that it sticks together. Use it and stuff into caps. Bake at 350 for 10 min or untill tops get crispy. Serve as an appetizer or side dish.

Prep time: 30min
Bake time: 10min

*To defrost spinach place in microwave safe bowl. Take spinach and place in clean dish towel and squeeze out water until spinach is drained.

Portabello Fajitas

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I love fajitas and the taste of these meaty mushrooms makes this easy meal very satisfying. Just start by sauteing one onion (sweet or red is great) when they start softening add some peppers and sliced portabellos. Once all items are cooked add chile powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Warm tortillas in a warm skillet until soft and top mixture with your favorite toppings. I like:

black beans (warm organic black beans in a pot and add fresh cilantro and scallions)
fresh salsa
pickled jalapenos
and Sarah and John's famous guacamole!

This is a fun meal and you can set up a topping bar and have a fajita party with friends!