Quinoa casserole with spinach and cheese sauce.

CHEF'S NOTE:

I grated Vegusto into this - DELICIOUS.  I also sauteed some mushrooms and added them because this is how I 'roll'.  I eht it with my face.  Starting to feel kind of relieved nobody actually reads this blog except me.


*

A cheesey, saucey quinoa casserole recipe perfect for vegetarian and vegan kids who like their cheese but need to get their protein. Filled with quinoa and spinach, this is a healthy twist on traditional comfort food and southern-style baked macaroni and cheese casserole. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, use cornstarch or a gluten-free flour in place of the regular flour, since all of the other ingredients are wheat- and gluten-free.

See also: More high-protein vegetarian meals

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• water for cooking quinoa
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese or nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 2/3 cup vegan Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (or regular bread crumbs plus 2 tbsp mixed Italian seasoning)
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmeasan cheese substitute or nutritional yeast
• extra salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Bring about 4 cups of water to a rolling simmer and add quinoa. Cook, partially covered, for about 12 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and fluffy.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 9x12 baking dish and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a separate small pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add flour, mixing to form a paste. Once a paste forms, add soymilk, salt, garlic powder and onion powder, stirring to combine. Mixture will begin to thicken. Add vegan cheese or nutritional yeast and spinach and combine well. Heat just until vegan cheese has melted and spinach is just beginning to wilt.

Stir in quinoa, then spread evenly in prepared casserole dish.

Combine the melted vegan margarine, breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan. Arrange this topping on top of the quinoa and season with a bit of extra salt and pepper, to taste, if you'd like.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven up to 450 and bake for an additional 10-15 minute, until breadcrumbs are lightly crisped.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Roast vegetable and bulgur salad with awesome dressing.

From Eat This My Friend.

I really like this new blog.  Jade has a beautiful eye for vegetables (that is a compliment).  I made this and then we ate it for the next three days, it keeps particularly well.  Also I added a buttload more Dijon  and salt to the dressing because, you know.  Dijon and salt.

SPICED SWEET POTATO, CARROT + CAULIFLOWER

with BULGUR WHEAT + CHICKPEAS

serves 2, or more as a side

- 1/3 cup fine BULGUR WHEAT

- 2 CARROTS, peeled and sliced into rounds

- 1 cup CAULIFLOWER, cut into florets

- about 1/2 a medium SWEET POTATO, cut into a 2cm dice

- glug of OLIVE OIL

- 1 cup CHICKPEAS (cooked fresh or tinned)

- 1/4 cup SULTANAS

- 2 Tbsp CAPERS, rinsed and drained

- 2 Tbsp PINE NUTS, dry toasted in a skillet

- small handful CHIVES, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Place the sweet potato, carrot and cauliflower on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Season with salt and pepper, add a big glug of oil and toss to coat. Roast for about 20 mins, or until tender.

Meanwhile, add the bulgur wheat to a bowl with 1/3 cup of boiling water, cover and let sit for 15 mins. Fluff with a fork to loosen the grains.

Prepare the dressing (see below).

When your vegetables are cooked, add them to a large dish, along with the bulgur wheat, chickpeas, capers, sultanas and chives. Toss gently to combine. Pour on your dressing, I generally use about half of it and pop the rest in the fridge for another delicious day. Toss gently again and top with your toasted pine nuts.

     Dressing

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 Tbsp dijion mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp  ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp  turmeric
• 1/2 tsp  ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp  cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp  ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp  freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp  ground cinnamon

Add dressing ingredients to a jar, screw the lid on tight and shake vigorously till combined.

San Choy Bow.

From Vegan Easy.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

500g mushrooms, chopped

1 carrot, grated

300g (1 packet) Sanitarium Vegie Delights Mince

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp sweet soy sauce

1 handful fresh, chopped coriander

1 cos lettuce, carefully remove and wash leaves

Sweet chilli sauce to serve

Heat wok over high heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Stir fry for three minutes. Add chilli, ginger, mushroom, stir-fry for a further three minutes.
Mix in veggie mince and stir-fry for five minutes, breaking up the lumps as you go. Add the stock and bring to boil. Reduce to a medium-low heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed.

Stir through lime juice, soy sauce and coriander.
Arrange lettuce leaves and top with the mixture. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.

Asparagus and sundried tomato quiche.

From The Sweet Life Online.


CHEF'S NOTE:

This was a damned fine lunch.  I added garlic powder and miso paste and a smidgen more milk to the tofu mix to make it creamier and saltier.  Served with green bean and walnut salad.  HELL YEAH.

Asparagus and Sun-dried Tomato Quiche
makes  one 9” pie (or two 6” pies)

1 vegan pie crust*

(1) 14 ounce block of medium/firm tofu, drained
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp non-dairy milk or creamer (I used Wildwood soy creamer)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp all purpose flour
1 tsp dehydrated minced onion
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup white onion, minced
1 cup fresh asparagus, chopped
3 tbsp dried tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup vegan cheese (I used Diaya’s Mozzarella)
salt and pepper

*I don’t like admitting it, but I am not a fan of making my own pie crusts. For this recipe I bought (2) frozen 6” crusts and saved myself a lot of mess and hassel. However, if you want to make your own, I’ve linked to Savvy Vegetarian’s Pie Crust (above) which is a great, easy, and versatile recipe.  

Prepare pie crust according to directions and place in the freezer while making the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent and fragrant (about three minutes). Add asparagus and tomatoes and saute for another three minutes until asparagus becomes slightly tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor or blender combine tofu, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk, flour, onions, turmeric,  liquid smoke, lemon juice, and sea salt until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Add asparagus mixture, fresh basil, and vegan cheese and stir everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon filling into chilled pie crust, smoothing over the top. Bake for 30-45 minutes until top has browned slightly and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.  Serve warm.

Butternut squash macaroni cheese.

This is hands down one of the best freaking things I've ever eaten.  Blending the roast pumpkin with the cheese sauce is a stroke of genius.  I have to stop writing about it, it's making me too hungry.

From Oh She Glows.



Yield: 4 servings or 1.5 cups of cheeze sauce

Ingredients:

1 fresh butternut squash* (peeled and chopped) OR 1 cup canned butternut squash OR canned pumpkin
Extra virgin olive oil, S & P
1 tbsp Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter replacer)
3/4 cup unsweetened & unflavoured almond milk (revised from 1 cup)
1 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
6 tbsp nutritional yeast, or more to taste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4-3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt (to taste) & ground black pepper, to taste
4 servings brown rice macaroni (8oz or half a 16oz package) makes 3 1/4 cup cooked
Mix-ins of choice (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, pumpkin seeds, etc)


1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a casserole dish with tin foil. Mix chopped squash with EVOO, S & P. Roast for about 40 minutes, uncovered, or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cheeze sauce in a pot on the stove top. Add Earth balance over low-medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together milk and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch or flour) until clumps are gone. Add into pot and whisk. Stir in remaining ingredients (nutritional yeast, Dijon, garlic, S & P) and whisk over low heat until thickened (about 5-7 minutes or so).

3. Cook your pasta according to package directions. The sauce makes enough to cover 4 servings of pasta.

4. In a blender, blend the sauce with 1 cup of roasted squash (or if using canned, simply stir 1 cup into the pot).

5. Add cooked, drained, and rinsed macaroni into pot, along with cheeze sauce & mix-ins. Heat and serve.

Notes: 1) My 3.5 pound squash made 5 cups cooked squash, so I had about 4 cups leftover. 2) The sauce does not cut in half well (the blender has a hard time blending it up), 3) I tried this recipe with canned pumpkin and it was awesome!

Mexican feast for our bar opening.

We built a junkyard bar in our back garden!  That doesn't quite excuse the lack of posts, but I am trying to make up for it now by sharing this Mexican feast.  It is all taken from http://ohsheglows.com/ except for the black beans (I used red kidney beans), which are from http://www.epicurious.com

CHEF'S NOTE: I cooked the beans for hours, adding water, salt and tomato paste.  They were so thick and sweet and salty.  Perfect.

Also I used cracked wheat for the salad instead of 'spelt berry'.  What the hell is spelt berry anyway? 


MEXICAN FEAST

Pico De Gallo & Guacamole:





Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes
1 large bunch of Cilantro (approx 1/2-3/4 cup), thick stems removed, roughly chopped
1 large sweet onion
1 lime
1-2 Jalapeno peppers or other hot pepper
Kosher salt, to taste


Directions: Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, and hot pepper. Note that the seeds inside the hot pepper are the most heat-producing, so you can remove the seeds if you don’t want it super hot. Remove thick stems of the Cilantro and then roughly chop. Mix the onion, tomato, hot pepper, and Cilantro in a bowl and squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Stir well and then season with kosher salt to taste.

Makes about 4 cups worth and lasts only for about 24 hours or so. Seal in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Use in quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, or just enjoy with some of your favourite nacho chips!

THEN add to mashed avocado, with extra salt and lime.  Amazing.


CARROT RAISIN SALAD:

1 cup uncooked spelt (or wheat) berries
4 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped into small 1/4” pieces
1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Pinch or two of red pepper flakes (or ground red pepper)
1/3 cup raisins
1 tsp kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 bunches of Cilantro, stems removed and minced (yield about 5-6 tbsp minced)


Directions:

1. Place spelt berries in a pot and cover with water to 2 inches above the berries. Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium until tender, about 35-45 minutes. Add more water if necessary.

2. Meanwhile, chop and prepare your veggies. In a medium sized bowl, stir together the chopped carrots, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and raisins. Stir well and add into a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or so. You just want to lightly cook this mixture. After about 5 minutes of cooking, place back into the bowl.

3. When the spelt berries are cooked, drain and rinse. Now stir them into the carrot mixture. Stir in your cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. I added another teaspoon of olive oil. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 3 cups.



LENTIL WALNUT TACO MEAT:





Yield: ~ 2.5-3 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup dry lentils
3 cups veggie broth or water
1 & 1/3 cup walnut halves, toasted
1 cup bean medley (chickpeas, kidney beans, etc)
Homemade Taco seasoning, to taste


Directions: Cook the lentils in about 3 cups or so of vegetable broth or water until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, toast your walnuts on baking sheet in a preheated oven at 300F for 10 minutes. Drain lentils and place lentils, beans, and walnuts in food processor. Add homemade taco seasoning to processor, starting with a teaspoon at a time. Process for just a few seconds, until chunky. You don’t want to over-process it. Taste and add more taco seasoning, repeat until desired taste is achieved. Just before serving dinner, heat a skillet with 1 tbsp olive oil in it, and add lentil taco meat. Heat and serve.


RED BEANS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small green capsicum, deseeded and chopped
1 small red capsicum, deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
400 g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (175 g) frozen corn kernels
1 large tomato, chopped
¼ cup (65 g) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, garlic and capsicums and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the red chilli (if using) and the ground cumin and stir for 1 minute.
2. Put the red kidney beans onto a plate and lightly crush with a fork, then add to the frying pan together with the corn and chopped tomato. Stir in the tomato and chilli sauces and the water and continue to cook gently for about 4 minutes. Stir in the fresh coriander.



Serve everything with tortillas and eat with your fingers. x