Grilled Vegetables

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One of the best parts of this summer was grilling lots and lots of local vegetables. While it's still grill weather outside, check out your local farm stand and get grilling! I grilled 2 portobellas, 2 local white eggplants,, 3 local zuchinni, 4 peppers. Spray all veggies with EVOO and salt and pepper and a little balsamic vinegar and grill until tender. Keep in a container and use all week (some ideas below).
Ideas for grilled vegetables:
Mixed with cous cous or quinoa, EVOO, fresh herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper (pictured)
Chopped up in a stew or chili
in a pita pocket with hummus and tahini or falafel
A topping on veggie burgers
Veggie fajitas with guacamole and salsa
On a salad
Layered in a baguette with meatless meatballs and sauce for a yummy health sub!

Peach Molasses Corn Muffins

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Inspired by last weeks brown sugar peach muffins from Vegan Yum Yum, I decided to make a corn bread based version to go with our chili last night. Again, this is based off of Veganomicon's skillet corn bread, but with no oil and molasses added also a little more sweetener!

Ingredients
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
4 TBS maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/3 cup oil (I filled the cup half with apple sauce and half molasses)
1 large peach chopped into pieces

Set oven to 350. Mix soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle. In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add maple syrup, molasses, apple sauce (or oil) to soymilk mixture. Mix wet into dry until combined. Fold in peaches and spoon into sprayed muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 min. This recipe made nine muffins.

Chipotle Chilli and Corn Bread

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As the weather starts to get colder here, a lot of people start panicking about the winter ahead but I get super excited for all the warm cozy foods I get to make in the fall and winter! Below is my basic chili kicked up a bit with Field Roast sausage and a yummy, crunchy, slightly sweet corn bread topping. This should get anyone excited about the cold weather!

Chipotle Chilli
1-3 links mexican chipotle field roast sausage (or TVP of your choice)
1 red or sweet onion
4 peppers
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup beer (optional-drink rest of beer with this meal =))
1-3 chipotle in adobo peppers (use just one if using sausage because they are spicy)
1 TBS cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and 1/2 TBS coriander or use a pre-made spice packet
1 small can diced tomatoes with green chillis (hunts and rotell make this)
1 small can roasted diced tomatoes
1 TBS tomato paste
1/2 small can diced green chillis
1 can red kidney or black beans
1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn
Scallions and cilantro chopped for garnish

You will need one cast iron skillet (or 9in sq baking pan or similar small pan to bake chilli in) and large soup pot or whatever you would make chilli in. In skillet, saute crumbles of sausage until lightly crisp outside and set aside. In large pot saute diced onion until soft (in about a tsp of oil) then add diced peppers. When everything is soft add garlic cloves and spices and cook for another minute. De-glaze pan with beer if using or just add two cans of tomatoes. Add tomato paste, beans, diced chipotles and cook down about 30 min on simmer. While chilli is cooking down, prepare corn bread below.Note: you do not have to use any TVP in this meal and can just add extra veggies (I like squash and zucchini) and use 3 chipotle peppers or chipotle hot sauce for extra chipotle flavor.

Corn Bread This is the Skillet Corn Bread recipe from Veganomicon but I have cut out some of the oil, used maple syrup instead of sugar, and made half the amount to accomodate the chilli in the pan, but feel free to double this recipe and bake it as a side dish in skillet.

1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
2 TBS maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/3 cup oil (I filled the cup measure with half green chillis and half canola oil)
1/3 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 sliced scallion

Set oven to 350. Mix soy milk and vinegar and set aside to curdle (I know gross, right? but it's not. You're making your own buttermilk-like substance) In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add maple syrup, chillis and oil to soymilk mixture. Mix wet into dry until combined. Add corn and sliced scallion if using.

Assembly
Add sausage crumbles, frozen/fresh corn and cilantro or scallions to chilli. Spoon chilli into skillet about 1/2way up sides. Pour cornbread mixture over and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes. You will see cracks in cornbread and slightly browned edges. Spoon and enjoy!

Banana Walnut Oatbran Muffins

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My dad has been making oatbran muffins for the last 15 years as a way to lower his cholesterol. I made these muffins from the book The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure vegan with a few easy swaps. The banana keeps them from being too dry like normal oat bran muffins but Tom says they taste very "healthy". My mom and I love em as a healthy breakfast before the gym in the morning. Remember, not everything can be a chocolate chip muffin (although those are good too!)

Banana Walnut Muffins:
2 mashed ripe bananas (riper the better)
1 cup soy milk
1 TBS molasses
2 TBS applesauce or 2 TBS canola oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
Ener-g egg replacer equal to one egg
2 1/4 cup oat bran cereal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1 TSP cinnamon

Mix wet in one bowl dry in another. Add wet to dry. Pour into 12 muffin cups. Bake at 425 for 15-17 minutes. These freeze well and reheat in the microwave a 1 min or 30 seconds if you keep in the fridge. My dad puts peanut or almond butter on these for protein. I like them with ice cold soymilk.

Muffin Madness

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This week I made two types of muffins for Tom to take to work. The first is a Banana Chocolate Chocolate-Chip muffin (picture above) based off of a recipe in Eat, Drink and be Vegan by the great Dreena Burton. Her's uses barley flour which I did not have and I added chocolate chips. The Second recipe Brown Sugar Peach muffins is from Vegan Yum Yum with some additional molasses and less oil.

Banana Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins:
1/2 cup and 2 TBS soy milk
2 TBS flax meal
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1/4 organic unrefined sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 baking soda
1 cup mashed banana (you can leave this a little chunky so there are yummy lumps of banana in the finished muffin)
1/4 cup maple syrup or agave
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBS canola oil
1/4-1/3 cup semi sweet chips

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tins with PAM. Mix soy milk and flax meal and set aside. In a seperate bowl mix flours, sugar,cocoa, spices, baking soda and powder and salt. To the flax mixture add, oil, banana, syrup, vanilla and stir until combined (there may be some banana lumps). Fold wet mixture into dry. Don't over mix just fold until dry ingredients dssappear. Add chocolate chips. and bake for 16-18 min.

Brown Sugar Peach Muffins:
2 cups Flour (white whole wheat or all purpose)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 cup soy milk plus 2 TBS
1 TBS molasses
1/3 canola (I used 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 canola)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup fresh peaches or nectarines (I left the skin on the nectarines but not the peaches)
Extra Brown Sugar, for sanding

Preheat oven for 400 and spray muffin tins. Mix wet in one bowl and dry in another. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Fold in most of the peaches saving some for tops of muffins. Fill muffins 2/3 full and top with additional chunks of peaches and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Bake 16-18 min

NOTES: I found the cook times in both the original recipes WAY OFF and almost burned the peach muffins. It might be my oven so while I cooked both muffins for 16 minutes you may need to go to 18 or 20 min. We'll see how these work when we move and have a new oven. oh and here's a really bad picture of the peach muffins:

Blackened Tofu Tacos

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Tom and I are finally moving to Cambridge and we're really excited to be living in an area so close to great restaurants and shops. One of our favorite places in Cambridge is called Christopher's. They have great organic beers and good veg food. The last time we went there the fish tacos caugth my eye and they were happy to make them for me with blackened tofu instead of fish-delicious! They also have a great chicken taco salad that they'll make for you with tofu instead of chicken and tofu fajitas. Definitely a great place for vegans who want to have real food! Note: They have a sister restaurant called Cambridge Commons which has a black bean burger that is vegan.

Last week I decided to make my own tofu tacos. Below I've included what I served these with but feel free to add your own additions.

Tofu: Wrap tofu in paper towels and clean dish towel and press with something heavy like a cast iron skillet for about 20min. Cut into 6 slices and then again in 2 to make squares. Press lightly in blackening seasoning on both sides. I used spicy steak seasoning (which I found pleasantly ironic) but you could use a mixture of black pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder or paprika, and red pepper flakes (HOT). Cook tofu on medium high heat for 5 min on each side in a non stick pan sprayed with PAM.Mango Slaw: Slice flesh of one mango into thin strips. Combine with 2 cups shredded cabbage, 1/4 thinly sliced red onion, 2 TBS fresh cilantro and 2 sliced scallions. When cutting mango cut over a bowl to collect any juice and squeeze leftover skins to get out any more juice. Combine this with the juice of 1/2 a lime and a 1/4 tsp cumin. Toss and let sit for 30min. I found this a perfect mix of sour and sweet but if it is not sweet enough for you add a little agave syrup.

Spicy Black Beans: Warm one can of black beans in a sauce pan. Add more blackening seasoning and finish with scallions and cilantro right before serving.

Serve on flour or whole wheat tortillas with tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, avocado, greens, or any of your favorite toppings.

Trail Mix Cookies

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This healthy cookie is a great afternoon pick me up or even an on the go breakfast! They taste like trail mix and really spicy oatmeal raisin cookies-yum!

Dry Ingredients:
1 Cup instant/quick cooking oats
2/3 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:
1/3 cup flax meal
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 TBS almond butter (or any nut butter)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS molasses
1 TBS canola oil
1/8 cup unsweetened coconut
3-4 TBS nuts (I used sliced almonds and sunflower seeds so they were small. Roughly chop if you use whole nuts)
1/3 cup mixed dry fruit soaked in rum for an hour or more (I used 1 TBS mango rum and 1 TBS regular and soaked a mixture of raisins, cranberries, and prunes for about 10 hours. I included the soaking rum in the mixture. If you can't or don't want to do this I do not think the recipe would suffer)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a seperate bowl or stand mixer. Slowly add dry ingredients. Make 10-12 golf ball sized cookies and slightly flatten on lightly sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 12 min. Transfer to plate and let cool.