Mushroom and quinoa meatballs.

These were so damned good.  I added nootch (but of course), and made a super salty and garlicky slow cooked tomato sauce.  Perfect.  Make sure you have a lot of people to feed because I'm pretty sure we're going to be eating meatballs for the next seven months.

Mushroom Quinoa Meatballs – Vegan, Gluten-Free & Soy-Free

There aren’t many things better than a big pot of meatballs and sauce to feed a crowd. Vegan, gluten-free and soy-free these versatile meatballs are not only suited to any occasion but any guest too. You can even prepare them in advance and reheat as needed, how perfect.

Makes 20 – 24 | Serves 4 – 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large brown onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil

• 300 g swiss brown mushrooms (about 20), finely diced
• 1 tsp each dried thyme leaves and dried oregano leaves
• 1 – 2 tsp sea salt, divided (see note below)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• 2 c shredded kale, lightly packed
• 2 c cooked quinoa – white, red, black or a mixture of all three (see below for cooking notes)
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1/4 c chopped parsley
• 1/4 c finely chopped walnuts, optional
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• oil, extra for baking

METHOD

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, saute onion and garlic in the oil for 5 mins until translucent.

Add diced mushrooms, herbs and 1 tsp salt and saute 5 mins until liquid has started to release and evaporate. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add kale and saute 5 mins. Add flax meal and quinoa and cook until mixture is well combined and quinoa is hot. Remove from heat and season to taste with pepper and extra salt — or any of the flavour boost options below.

Stir mixture regularly as it cools, this will help to make the mixture a bit sticky so it is easier to form.

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Use damp hands to form cooled mixture into golf ball sized portions and place on a baking paper lined sheet pan.

Spray or lightly brush top of meatballs with a bit of extra oil and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until just crisp and firm. Cool on tray and serve with Rustic Pasta Sauce (recipe below).

COOK’S NOTES

How to cook quinoa:

•  Rinse 1 cup quinoa (white, red, black or a combo of all three) under cool water, drain well. Add quinoa to a medium saucepan with 1 1/2 c cold water. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to very low. Simmer, covered, for 14 mins then remove from heat and set aside, still covered, for a further 10 mins. Fluff with a fork. Makes approx 3 cups quinoa.

Flavour boost options:

• If not gluten-free replace extra salt with 1 tsp Vegemite thinned with a bit of water; if not soy-free replace extra salt with 1 – 2 tsp tamari; if extra ambitious soak a 2 Tbsp of dried porchini mushrooms in an equal amount of boiling water until cool, finely chop mushrooms and strain liquid, adding both to mixture with the kale.

Make ahead:

• Reheat by baking in a 180F (350C) oven, or simmering gently in pasta sauce, for about 10 mins.

Meat pie.

Dropped this in to Calfy at work and he LOVED it.  I used mixed dried mushrooms, but next time I think I will try porcini for a richer flavour, and maybe use some truffle oil too.  I'd soak the TVP and mushrooms separately as they take different times to absorb the liquid.  A tbsp of tomato paste helps thicken this out too.  DELICIOUS.

Ingredients
(Makes approx 2 large pies, 32 party pies, and 6 medium-sized pies)

1 1/2 cups TVP mince (textured vegetable protein, sometimes referred to as vegetarian mince, can be found at most supermarkets)
50g dried mushrooms
1/2 brown onion
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegan powdered stock
3 tbsp plain flour
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp ground peppercorns
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Start by soaking the TVP and mushroom in the soy sauce and hot water. Pour hot water over the mix until just covered. The mixture will start soaking up the liquid quickly so add more water as necessary - soak for around 10min. Dice onion into small pieces.

Heat olive oil in a deep saucepan and sauté the onions and TVP and mushroom mix. Add the remaining ingredients with around 2 cups of water. Simmer for  20min. Allow to cool.

Meatballs.

I made a slow-cooked tomato sauce to go with these, and they were chewy (gluten flour, WHO KNEW) but also very good.  Recommended.

MEATLESS MEATBALLS

1 Cup Breadcrumbs, coarse
1 Cup  Mushrooms, finely minced, I used crimini
1 Clove Garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 t garlic powder will do in a pinch)
2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes
3/4 Cup Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, vegan
1 Tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce
3 Tablespoons finely chopped baby spinach leaves*
1 Vegetable bouillon cube
1/2 Cup Hot Water

Dissolve the bouillon cube in the hot water. Add the worcestershire and tamari and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, mushrooms, garlic, nutritional yeast flakes, and flour.
Pour over the liquid and spinach.
Knead the mixture together to form a firm dough.
Pinch off 1 inch sized pieces to roll into balls.

Either heat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC) or heat a layer of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
If baking, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and evenly distribute the meatballs so they aren’t touching.
Bake for 15 minutes then roll each of the meatballs over to brown the other sides, baking for an additional 15 minutes.

If frying, I liked this version better, add the meatballs to the heated oil to fill the pan, without overcrowding.
Fry the meatballs, moving occasionally to evenly brown them on all sides.
Remove from the pan and allow to drain on a paper towel while you finish up any remaining meatballs.

*Depending on the end dish, you could choose to add additional seasoning such as parsley, thyme, oregano or basil for tomato sauces and rosemary or thyme for brown (mushroom) gravies.

Delicious baked tofu.

I made tofu steaks with this and marinated it for an hour.  Served it with quinoa salad with a tahini dressing.  Look even though it gives me the pip that I can't figure out how to copy and paste a recipe and then break the 'heading' font I am still happy to post this awesomeness.

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 4 servingsChange Servings

• 1 (16 ounce) package extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

• 1 dash hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil.
2. Slice tofu into 1/2-inch slices, and gently press excess water out of tofu. Cut sliced tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.
3. In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, maple syrup, ketchup, vinegar, and hot sauce. Stir in sesame seeds, garlic powder, black pepper, and liquid smoke. Gently stir tofu cubes into sauce. Cover, and marinate at least 5 minutes.
4. Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn tofu, and bake until the tofu turns golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Sesame-crusted tofu with spicy peanut dressing, panko-stuffed Asian mushrooms.

It annoys me how I end up stuck in the font of the copied and pasted recipes.  But to be honest that is the least of my concerns.  I made this tonight and SHEEEEEEYIT (I have been watching The Wire) it was kickass.  I didn't have any Sriracha so just used sweet chilli sauce for the peanut dressing.  I also topped with fresh coriander and chopped tamari almonds OH WHY NOT IT IS MY 'CORNER'.

For the mushrooms I used Portobello instead of button because who needs that cute Mickey Mouse mushroom shit when you can go 'large style' now excuse me while I buy a gun.

Sesame Crusted Tofu Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Serves: 3-4 salads

Ingredients

marinated sesame tofu:

• 1 block extra firm tofu packed in water
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1½ tablespoons black sesame seeds

spicy peanut dressing

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
• ½ tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon water

additional ingredients:

• mixed greens
• 3-4 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3-4 tablespoons scallions, sliced thin

Instructions

1. Press as much water out of the tofu as possible. Slice into square cubes.
2. Add the garlic, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes and cubed tofu to a large plastic bag (do not add the sesame seeds or dressing ingredients). Seal and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. While the tofu is marinating, whisk together the spicy peanut dressing ingredients and set aside.
4. Mix together the toasted and black sesame seeds in a small bowl. Dredge each piece of tofu in the sesame seeds (I only dredged two sides).
5. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium low heat. You can add a small amount of oil or cooking spray but the sesame oil in the marinade should prevent sticking. Add the tofu and allow it to brown a bit before flipping sides. Periodically swirl the tofu around and keep an eye on the heat to make sure the sesame seeds don’t burn. It should take several minutes per side.
6. Serve the tofu over mixed greens. Top each salad plate with peanuts and scallions to taste (1-2 tablespoons each per salad is a good estimate).
7. Drizzle spicy peanut dressing over salad and serve.

Ingredients:

Serves: 10Yield:
20
mushrooms Units: US | Metric
22 white button mushrooms, cleaned
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup water chestnut, finely diced
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or 3 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, plus extra for greasing the pan and garnish
8 tablespoons water
1/2 cup scallion, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2
Remove the stems from the mushrooms.
3
Chop up the stems and two(2) of the whole mushrooms and set them aside.
4
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the peanut oil and sauté the chopped mushroom for about 3 minutes, until some moisture has released.
5
Add the diced water chestnuts or daikon and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.
6
At this point, lots of moisture should be released from the mushrooms.
7
Add the rice wine vinegar or mirin, salt, and white pepper, and cook for about 2 minutes.
8
Turn off the heat and add the panko in 1/2-cup batches and stir, alternately adding the sesame oil until all the bread crumbs are moist.
9
If needed, add a coiple tbsp of water if panko seems overly dry.
10
The mixture should be crumbly but, when you press some between your fingers, it should hold together.
11
Mix in the scallions and adjust the salt to taste.
12
Grease a baking sheet with a little sesame oil.
13
Stuff each mushroom with the filling and place on the baking sheet.
14
To stuff them, place a little of the filling into the mushroom crevice and then add another tablespoon on top of that, pressing firmly to form a mound.
15
Bake for 20 minutes.
16
To serve, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the mushrooms and drizzle with a little sesame oil, if desired.
17
Garnish with extra chopped scallions.

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/panko-stuffed-mushrooms-asian-style-279357?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/panko-stuffed-mushrooms-asian-style-279357?oc=linkback</a>

Cauliflower and couscous salad with portobello mushrooms and barbecue tofu.

This was a perfect dinner.  I can't write capital letters in this font.  Oh fuck that.

warm cauliflower & israeli couscous salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4

A warm couscous salad made with roasted cauliflower and kalamata olives.

ingredients

• olive oil mister or cooking spray
• 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1/2 c. pitted and halved kalamata olives
• 1 c. Israeli (pearl) couscous
• 1/4 c. chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• salt + pepper to taste

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray rimmed baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray. Place cauliflower florets on baking sheet; spray with additional cooking spray and sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake for 20 minutes, then stir in kalamata olives. Cook for 15-20 minutes more or until cauliflower is beginning to turn golden brown and olives have started to shrivel.
3. While cauliflower is roasting, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in Israeli couscous; return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until water is absorbed. (Keep an eye on the couscous as it cooks--if you overcook it, it will stick to the bottom of the saucepan!)
4. Combine cauliflower and olives, couscous, and parsley in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Pour dressing over salad and stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

1.  portobello mushrooms, stems removed
   For the marinade:
   1/2 cup dry white wine
   2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
   2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
   1 tablespoon olive oil
   4 cloves garlic, minced
   For the sandwich:
   4 nice sized pieces foccacia bread
   A few handfuls baby arugula
   Slices of sweet onion (like walla walla or vidalia)
   Slices of tomato
   A little vegan mayo
   Place the portobellos gills up in a rimmed baking sheet.
   Mix all the marinade ingredients together and spoon over the portobellos. Let marinate for at least half an hour, spooning marinade back onto the mushrooms every ten minutes or so.
   
   Grease up your grill with olive oil and preheat over medium/high. It’s important to keep some oil nearby for brushing the grill through out the cooking process. You can use a grill brush for it, or a paper towel wadded up and grasped in your tongs. You can also use a spray bottle of oil.
   Place the mushrooms gill side up on the grill. Close lid and let mushrooms cook for about 5 minutes, lifting the lid to baste shrooms with marinade every few minutes. Use tongs to turn the mushrooms 90 degrees to make cross hatched grill marks; cook for about 3 more minutes. Flip mushrooms over and cook for about 3 more minutes. Your cooking time may vary depending on the size of your portobellos and the temperature of your grill. You know the mushrooms are done when you press on the center with tongs (where the stem used to be) and it’s very soft and juicy.

BAKED BARBECUE TOFU

Serves 4

1 pound (450g) tofu, drained and pressed, cut widthwise into eighths
2 tablespoons peanut oil or your favorite cooking oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 recipe backyard barbecue sauce(or use store-bought barbecue sauce)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).

In a 9 x 18-inch (23cm x 45cm) (preferably glass or ceramic) baking pan, dredge the tofu in the peanut oil and tamari to coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the slices and bake for 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the barbecue sauce.

When the tofu is done baking, pour the sauce over it, smothering it all over. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.