Vegan pho.

CHEF'S NOTE: 

Rather than char the onion and ginger on a flame, I just put them in the pot and dry roasted them along with all the other aromatics.  I also added shiitake mushrooms to the broth.  Next time I'd use more soy sauce and Massel (vego) chicken stock.  DELICIOUS MONDAY FARE.


Vegetarian Phở (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)
Serves 2
Broth
1 large onion, peeled and halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and halved lengthwise
3-inch cinnamon stick, preferably Vietnamese cassia-cinnamon
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 cups unsalted vegetable stock
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
Noodles
1/2 pound dried flat rice noodles (known as bánh phở; use 1/16", 1/8", or 1/4" width depending on availability and preference)
Toppings (optional)
Protein such as fried or baked tofu, bean curd skin, or seitan
Mushrooms
Vegetables such as bok choy, napa cabbage, or broccoli
Garnishes
1/2 onion, very thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 chile pepper (Thai bird, serrano, or jalapeño), sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup bean sprouts
Large handful of herbs: cilantro, Thai basil, culantro/saw-leaf herb
Hoisin sauce, sriracha (optional)
For the broth
Char onion and ginger over an open flame (holding with tongs) or directly under a broiler until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes on each side. Rinse with water.
In a large pot, dry roast cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and coriander over medium-low heat, stirring to prevent burning. When spices are aromatic, add vegetable stock, soy sauce, carrots, and charred onion and ginger.
Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain and keep hot until ready to serve.
For the noodles
While broth is simmering, place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand for 20-30 minutes or until tender but still chewy. Drain. (If soaking does not soften the noodles enough, blanch them in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds.)
For the toppings (optional)
While broth is simmering, prepare toppings as desired – slice and cook tofu, lightly steam or blanch vegetables, etc. Toppings should be unseasoned or only lightly seasoned so as not to interfere with the flavor of the broth.
To serve
Divide noodles between two bowls. Arrange toppings over noodles. Ladle about 2 cups of broth into each bowl. Serve with garnishes on the side, which diners should add to taste.

Cauliflower and mushroom risotto with broccoli slaw.

CHEF'S NOTE: The risotto is from Vegangela and was so rich and creamy.  The slaw is from my darling Carla - I salted the dressing (surprise).  As she says, just taste it until it feels right.


Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 450g mushrooms, chopped (I used just oyster, but any mix would be great)
• 1 head cauliflower, grated (either by hand or food processor)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup onion, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 6 Tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• pepper, to taste
• truffle oil

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet and cook the mushrooms until tender; set aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Add the cauliflower and wine, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the wine has evaporated.
4. Add the broth, reduce the heat and cover, letting it cook a few minutes. You’ll want the cauliflower to be “al dente” with a little texture so it isn’t just mush.
5. Meanwhile, pulse together the pine nuts, nutritional yeast, and salt until it forms a powdery consistency.
6. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and stir in the nut mixture until well combined. Stir in the margarine and season with pepper, to taste.
7. Stir in the mushrooms and drizzle some truffle oil on top before serving.

Serves 4-6 sides


BROCCOLI SLAW:

ingredients
2 heads of broccoli, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, (you guessed it) roughly chopped
1/2 small red onion, (to mix it up) finely chopped

buttermilk dressing
1/2 cup soy cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1-2 tablespoons rice milk

method
1. Make buttermilk dressing by whisking together the cream cheese and vinegars.  Whisk in the first tablespoon of milk and taste to see (depending on what kind of milk you use you may only need 1 tablespoon). Dressing should be tangy and creamy. Whisk in another tablespoon of milk if need be or a little bit more apple cider vinegar. This dressing needs a bit of playing around with. Thin out with a little water if you need to.

2. Drizzle the dressing in the big salad bowl full of deliciousness. Toss to dress. This keeps for quite a few days. 

Raw pad thai.

CHEF'S NOTE: This is from the lovely Vegangela - http://www.vegangela.com.  And it was SO FREAKING GOOD.

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 2 large carrots
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts or radish sprouts (spicy) (optional)
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro (optional)
• Sauce
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup almond butter (or cashew butter, or a blend of both)
• 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tamari (select a wheat free version for gluten-free diets)
• 2 tbsp agave (or maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger root, grated

Instructions

1. Use a spiralizer (or mandolin or vegetable peeler) to create noodles from the carrot and zucchini. Place them in a large mixing bowl and top with the other vegetables.
2. Whisk sauce ingredients in a bowl. The sauce will be thick, but will thin out after it’s mixed with the vegetables.
3. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss.

Pumpkin, spinach and ricotta lasagna.

 CHEF'S NOTE: 

Another one of Carla's from EAVP.  I love her so much.  We salted the shit out of the bechamel, for taste.  Just salt everything til it fits.  Then eat it.

pumpkin sauce (first layer)

2 cups of pureed pumpkin (I roasted 1/4 pumpkin in its skin)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch white pepper and cayenne
1/4 cup of stock

Whizz in a food processor until smooth.

grilled zucchini, spinach and ricotta layer

1 medium zucchini
half a bunch of silverbeet or english spinach, wilted, rinsed and wrung of water
1 recipe of tofu ricotta

Slice the zucchini .5 cm thick length ways, rub with olive oil and salt and either grill or bake in a hot oven until brown-ish.

bechamel sauce (top layer)

There are many many different ways to make bechamel sauce. The authentic French way takes a million years, I don't have a million years. I combine equal amounts fat and flour (so oil or marg) usually about 1/4 of a cup of each and heat for about a minute. Then stir in about 3/4 litre of milk slowly, once it starts to boil, reduce to a simmer and this is when it should start to really thicken. You may need to add more milk or flour after a few minutes. Voila! I'm sure if you really wanted to make an authentic one or have never made white sauce before, please look it up on the web!

layering

Smooth pumpkin mixture on the bottom and add a layer of lasagne noodles. I layered the spinach first, then tofu ricotta then grilled zucchinis, another layer of noodles and finally bechamel and a sprinkling of Cheezly.

Bake in the oven at 200 for about 40 minutes or until the top browns (all the ingredients are already cooked so its just a marination/browning process).

Mushroom quiche with chili almond asparagus.

HELLO!  Another Tuesday night in watching mindless television.  Hoping Michael will win Big Brother.  That I even care terrifies me.

In terms of the quiche, I simply cooked the mushrooms as follows:

Ingredients:

• 4 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 12 ounces crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil (I used 1T dried thyme)
• 1 1/2 t. salt, divided. 
•  
• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 T. of the olive oil, adding the onions once hot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are just softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 8 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized. Add the remaining olive oil, white wine, garlic, fresh basil, 1/2 t. salt and red pepper flakes and cook until the mushrooms have absorbed the liquid and the garlic smells fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Set aside.  
• The rest of the recipe should run as per Carla's tart:
• http://www.easyasveganpie.net/2010/10/i-had-3-week-old-head-of-organic.html
•  
• 
  Chili Almond Asparagus
  Serves two to four as a side
  1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds, roughly crushed and divided
  1 Tbs Powdered Soup Stock (I used Massel Chicken)
  2 tsp Red Chili Flakes
  1 lb Asparagus Spears, trimmed
  2 Carrots, peeled
  2 tsp Peanut Oil (or any kind you like)
  1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil (or any other kind)
  Fresh Zest and juice of 1 Lemon
  Preheat oven to 450º F.
  Roughly crush the almonds so that most are ground fairly fine, but there are some larger pieces of almonds left in the mix. Mix together 1/2 of the ground almonds, the soup stock powder, and the chili flakes.
  Trim the carrots to the same length, roughly, as the asparagus spears. Half the carrots lengthwise, then quarter them, and continue cutting each piece lengthwise until you have lots of long, flexible, thin strips of carrots.
   

Mujadarah with roast beetroot and Dijon dressing.

CHEF'S NOTE: Mujadarah with caramelised onions is such an easy and delicious dish.

I fry up an onion, add 1tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp allspice, then add 1 cup brown lentils, 3 - 4 cups stock...simmer for ten minutes then add 1 cup long grain rice.  Cook til absorbed.

While this is happening, caramelise the hell out some onions - I slice four or five, cover them in a buttload of olive oil, and fry on medium low for over and hour til they are brown and delicious.


Top the lentils and rice with fresh parsley and the onion mix.

A tahini dressing is always good on the side with this too.


Tonight I also roasted some beetroots as a side dish.  Will serve them with walnuts and the dressing below.  I used red wine vinegar instead of white.  LOVELY.

For the dressing:

• 3 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tblsp white wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• sea salt and ground black pepper

Chewy oatmeal raisin cookies.

CHEF'S NOTE: Thursday afternoon.  Bored four-year-old.  We made these and they were ENORMOUS.  Everything has gone quiet since they came out of the oven.  I'm guessing that's a good sign.

From http://veganyumyum.com/.

Giant Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

1 Cup vegan margarine, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Egg replacer for 2 eggs
1 1/4 Cups Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3 Cups Oats (rolled)
1 1/2 Cups Raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer eggs and beat until well blended. In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to margarine mixture until well blended. Stir in oats, raisins, and nuts (if using). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a nonstick cookie sheet) drop the dough by 1/4 cupfuls and pat down slightly. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let stand for 3 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

Makes 2 dozen giant cookies

Variations:
For smaller cookies, drop the dough by tablespoons onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Makes 5 dozen.