Holiday Helpers! Roasted Butternut Squash with Fennel

Check out this super easy, super tasty, super seasonal side dish to add to your holiday table!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Fennel
Such a simple list of ingredients! And when you have great ingredients, it's best

JJ's Snack Shack hits the California Hot Sauce Expo for it's Debut Pop-Up: Hush Puppies

This past weekend marked the inaugural pop-up event by vegan food recipe developer, photographer, blogger, and social media maven Jackie Sobon of VeganYackAttack and little ol' me as we put our heads (and cooking skills!) together to create JJ's Snack Shack (Get it? JJ's? As in Jackie and Joni? Get it? Get it?)

Our inaugural event was held at the California Hot Sauce Expo in Long Beach at Rainbow Lagoon Park down by the ocean. We put our thinking caps on to come up with a menu that was cohesive, delicious, and made sense for an event that was all about hot sauce. And being the only vegan option at the festival, we wanted to make sure our food was inviting to not only the veg-heads, but anyone looking for a delicious snack at the festival.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 24: Walnut and Currant Vaganzola

Walnut and Currant Veganzola Balls from 500 Vegan Recipes (page 90)

Before there was Daiya or Miyoko Schinner's Artisan Vegan Cheese many of us were busy in the kitchen creating our own cheese-like concoctions to spread on crackers.  This recipe is one of those concoctions.  Unlike many home made cheeses that require agar powder, fermentation time, or lots of specialty ingredients...this one is ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes!

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 12: Kahlua Ice Cream

Kahlua Ice Cream from 500 Vegan Recipes (page 486)

I'm not gonna talk too much about this recipe...because KAHLUA and ICE CREAM!  I you want to make the sundae as shown, you can use THIS recipe for the cake, then top with your favorite chocolate sauce.

Vegan MoFo VIII, Day 2: Yalanchi Dolmas

Yalanchi Dolmas from 500 Vegan Recipes (page 108)

Next up is a recipe from 500 Vegan Recipes: An Amazing Variety of Delicious Recipes, From Chilis and Casseroles to Crumbles, Crisps, and Cookies, my first collaborative effort with Celine Steen and our first book published by Fairwinds Press.  It was the beginning of a wonderful relationship.  I am so lucky to have met and worked with (and continue to work with...) Celine. she is crazy talented in the kitchen, and her photos are absolutely breathtaking...although, unfortunately, none of them appear in this book.

Throwback Thursday! Breakfast Style Chicken Fried Seitan Steak Smothered in Sausage Gravy

Throwin' back this Thursday to 500 Vegan Recipes, Celine and my first book together.   It's fun to look back and see what VegNews had to say about the book way back when!  And as Celine and I just started working on our fourth book together (Can you believe it's already time to write The Complete Guide To Vegan Food Substitutions, Volume 2?) it was predicted the two of us would go on to write recipes together for a long time to come.

Worknight Wednesdays: A Nap Before Bed

This is days late and dollars short.  We didn't make a thing for dinner on Wednesday.  I didn't even eat dinner.  I came home from work, plopped down on the couch.  Covered up in a fuzzy blanket, invited my girls to join un keeping me cozy, and fell asleep.  Woke up, had a bowl of cereal while watching CSI, then went to bed.  Pretty pathetic.  You don't have to tell me.

But if I were to make a nice big dinner last night, I probably would have made a batch of enchiladas.  I think I have to finally admit that Mexican food is my absolute favorite (followed by Italian, I think...) and a big batch of cheesy enchiladas always hits the spot.  But on a busy weeknight, I sometimes don't feel like spending the time necessary to properly roll up a batch, so I cheat and make an enchilada casserole.  Same ingredients, just layered like  lasagna, instead of rolled up.

Enchilada Casserole (from 500 Vegan Recipes)

Easy to toss together and throw in the oven, a hot, hearty meal is less than an hour away, and most of that time, is bake time.

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups (473ml) enchilada sauce, divided, store bought or homemade
2 recipes Seitan Chorizo Crumbles (from 500 Vegan Recipes), or 1 package store bought Soy Chorizo, divided
1 recipe Nutty Cheeze (Mexican Variation, from 500 Vegan Recipes) or Mexican flavored vegan cheese, like Daiya Pepperjack
6 to 8 flour or corn tortillas
2 cups (320 g) diced onion
2 ounces (56g) sliced or chopped black olives
8 to 10 slices of jarred nacho style jalapeno slices (optional)
Vegan Sour Cream and green onions for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).

Spray a glass 8×8-inch (20 x 20-cm) square baking dish with nonstick spray.
Begin to layer all ingredients starting with a single layer of tortillas on the bottom. (You can cut your tortillas into strips about 2 to 3″ wide so that you can put straight edges against the edges of the baking dish.) Then about 1/4 cup of sauce, more tortillas, then chorizo crumbles, and onions, tortillas, more sauce, some of the cheese, more tortillas, more sauce, more crumbles, more cheese…you get the picture…yeah?
When you get to the top, finish with a whole tortilla, a bit more sauce, a crumbling of cheese, olives and jalapenos.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Garnish with sour cream and diced green onions if desired.


Yield: 6 servings

Ketchup

Sheesh.  Last week kicked my butt.  I am here, now, to ketchup on last week's posts all in one. 

Two for Tuesday: Long Beach Vegan Eatery
I skipped out on Dan Tuesday to check out the new Long Beach Vegan Eatery.  I am so excited to have this option in Long Beach, which up until recently has had no strictly vegan restaraunts. (Now there are 3!) And after reading about their mission to have vegan "stick to your ribs" comfort food...well, if you know anything about me, well then you know that this is my kind of menu.  I was there on the 2nd day of their soft opening.  (I don't think they've had their official "Grand Opening" yet).  I got the California Chick'n Sandwich and Sweet Potato Tots.  Yes.  Sweet.  Potato. Tots.  

California Chick'n Sandwich and Sweet Potato Tots from Long Beach Vegan Eatery

After having a chance to chat with Jeff (owner/operator) a few days later, he was excited to report that a lot of the early kinks have all been worked out, and each day just keeps getting busier and busier.  How awesome is that?  I can't wait to go back and have to wait in a really long line.  I am always eager to wait in line at a vegan establishment.  It really warms my heart.

Worknight Wednesday: Red "Meat" Lasagna
This one goes all the way back to 500 Vegan Recipes.  But it is a classic.  And definitely makes enough to have leftovers for the rest of the week.

Red "Meat" Lasagna

For the Lasagna:

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 recipe Meaty Marinara (BELOW)
1 recipe Tofu Ricotta (BELOW)
2 tablespoons (15 g) nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons (14 g) ground cashews or ground walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).

A quick note before assembling the lasagna: be sure to keep some sauce and ricotta to apply at the very top of the lasagna. You will have 4 layers of pasta in all, so divide each ingredient accordingly.
In a square 8-inch (20-cm) or 9-inch (23-cm) baking dish, start with a thin layer of sauce, add three noodles in a single layer, add another layer of meat sauce, then a layer of tofu ricotta another layer of noodles.       
Repeat until you get to four layers of noodles.
Top with a final light layer of sauce and ricotta and then sprinkle with nutritional yeast and cashews or walnuts.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is beginning to brown and your noodles are nice and tender.
Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving, so that the portions don't fall apart when cut.


For the Meaty Marinara:
28 ounces (784 g) canned diced tomatoes with the juice, no salt added
8 ounces (227 g) tomato sauce
6 ounces (170 g) tomato paste
1 tablespoon (2 g) dried basil, or 3 tablespoons (9 g) fresh, chopped
1 tablespoon (13 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (22 g) molasses
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves (or one head) garlic, minced
1 cup (160 g) finely diced white or yellow onion
1 1/4 cups (120 g) TVP granules (textured vegetable protein)

Place tomatoes, sauce, tomato paste, basil, sugar, and molasses in a large stock pot.  Bring to a simmer on medium-low heat.

Meanwhile, in a skillet place the olive oil, garlic and onions and sauté until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onions to the pot. Cover and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Uncover and simmer for ten more minutes. Stir in TVP, cover and let sit for ten minutes.

For the Tofu Ricotta:
14 ounces (397 g) extra firm tofu, drained & pressed
1/4 cup (35 g) raw cashews, finely ground
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (6 g) finely chopped fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon (2 g) dried
Salt and pepper to taste

After you have drained and pressed your tofu very well, crumble it into a bowl until it resembles ricotta.

Add in all the other ingredients and mix together with your hands.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Should keep at least a week.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Green is the New Red by Will Potter

Green is the New Red by Will Potter

I bought this book at Food Fight Grocery when I was in Portland, Oregon for Vida Vegan Con in August.  It was a very eye opening read.  I've been fired up ever since.  If you are vegan, vegetarian, or even just someone who cares about our planet, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.  Rather than tell you what I liked about this book, I am going to tell you what I didn't like.  The truth.  I don't like it.  I will be honest with y'all.  I have been a naive person.  I trusted too easily and had too much faith in things I didn't fully understand.  No more.  Will Potter's book has taught me that our laws are not there to protect us.  They are there to support the money, and those that have it.  It is timely that I read this book just before the "Occupy" movement began, because, man, I am really down with the 99%, of which I, my family, and virtually everyone I know is a part of.  I am not going to get to philosophical, political, or opinionated here, because afterall, this is a blog about great vegan food, but please read this book, check out the website, and GET FIRED UP!

Freedom Fridays:  Pizza and Beer
Going out to dinner with my dad can often present a problem.  One would think that if 2 of your daughter's are vegan you might be a little bit more open minded when it comes to trying new things.  Yeah, well, no.  Not my dad.  So we often end up in uninspried chain restaraunts or a pizza joint.  Pizza is pretty easy for me.  No cheese.  done.  So that's what we did on Friday.  Spent a couple of hours with my dad, his wife, Laura, and Dan.  Noshing on cheeseless pizza, and sipping on beer.

Wonderful Weekends: A Very Lazy Saturday Spent on the Couch watching Lifetime Movies, and Avoiding any of my Real Responsibilities
Well, that pretty much sums up my weekend.  Today I head out to work.  It is my last day in Venice.  So it will be a bittersweet day.  I will miss my Venice peeps, but I will not miss that drive!

Mo Betta Chedda

I am now on a quest to find the best vegan cheddar available on the market.

Here's what I picked up today (all at one market!):


Clockwise from the top:
Galaxy Rice Vegan Cheddar, Daiya Shredded Cheddar (I may also add in a review of the block Daiya Cheddar as well), Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheddar, Vegan Rella Cheddar, Teese Cheddar, Wayfare Cheddar, Galaxy Vegan Soy Cheddar

Still needed:

Sheese

Cheezly



Dr. Cow doesn't have a "cheddar" per se, so they won't be tested in this round, although I have had the Aged Cashew and Crystal Manna Algae Cheese and it is so good, so I thought I'd mention it here.


I am going to judge the different cheeses according to the following criteria:
Taste: Cold, alone, right out of the package on a cracker.
Taste: Cold sandwich with Tofurkey or Yves Slices and Vegenaise
Taste: Hot on a simple grilled cheese with Earth Balance
Meltability: On pizza of course!
Stretch: On same pizza
Mixability: In mac and cheese
Availability and Cost: Is it easy to find and is it a good value for your hard earned buck?
Overall Performance and Taste

So, with all of these cheeses to taste and test, it may be a week or 2 before I post the final results, but until then, save your money and make your own cheese!  Home made tastes better than ANY of the store bought ones anyhow, right?

Nutty Cheese
Appears in 500 Vegan Recipes:




*Soy Free
*Gluten Free
Nonstick cooking spray
1 ounce (28 g) agar flakes or powder
3 cups (705 ml) water
2 cups (275 g) raw cashews, finely ground into a powder
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sesame oil (olive oil will work too)
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare a loaf pan (or other deep rectangular container) by lightly oiling or spraying with cooking spray.
Place agar in water and bring to a full boil, boil for 5 minutes. Whisk regularly.
Place all other ingredients into a food processor and blend smooth.
Pour into the water-agar mixture and mix until creamy and smooth, remove from heat. Quickly pour into an oiled loaf pan and refrigerate until hardened.

Yield: 1 loaf

Variations: Add fresh herbs and spices to the mix. If you want a Mediterranean flavored cheese, add about 8 chopped sun dried tomatoes and 5 or 6 chopped leaves of fresh basil. If you want a Mexican flavored cheese, add one teaspoon of cumin and 6 or 7 chopped up pieces of nacho sliced, jarred jalapenos. If you want a smoky cheese, add a little bit, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, of liquid smoke flavoring. It’s limitless!

VeganMofo Giveaway: a 2fer!

Tonight's dinner was completely uninspired.  A soggy sandwich that I forgot to bring to work for lunch today and a bowl of cereal.

So...tonight's post is a GIVEAWAY!  Leave a comment (on the Blog or on Facebook) telling me your favorite Thanksgiving dessert (because I am feeling uninspired for that meal as well) and I will pick 1 random winner to receive 2 copies of 500 Vegan Recipes...yep, 2.  That's one for you, and one to give away! 

Yes, I will ship international.  I will pick a winner, at 10 pm PST on Friday 11/12/10.

Inspire me, people.

The Double-Take

Inspired by the ultra artery clogging new sandwich from the ultra disgusting KFC, the Double Down. Made with my own blend of seven herbs and spices, I served these up to the folks over at the Jason Ellis show and even the producer, Stretch, who is a really big meat eating man's man, said it tasted like real chicken...so, there. Thanks to Gardein, the realistic chicken part was easy.

Easter Eggs!

Cruelty free Easter eggs! These are fun if you have little ones or even for yourself. They are slightly reminiscent of those Cadbury ones, but the filling is not nearly as runny.

These also make a mean peppermint patty, so you don't have to wait until Easter to enjoy them! As a matter of fact, you can sub any flavor into the center and make a variety of chocolates.

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar
A few drops yellow food coloring, optional
Extra powdered sugar for dusting
12 ounces nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix together corn syrup and vanilla. Begin adding in sugar one cup at a time. Work in the sugar until you get a dough that is the consistency of play-dough.

Divide into thirds. Add yellow food coloring to 1/3 of the dough. Divide that 1/3 into 12 even pieces and roll into small balls. Dust with extra powdered sugar as you work to prevent them from getting too sticky. Place on a sheet of parchment or wax paper and set aside.

Divide the remaining 2/3 into 12 equal pieces and form into small patties. Once again dusting with powdered sugar as you work.

Add one "yolk" into the center of each patty and wrap the patty around it. Form into an egg shape, Dusting as you work. Place on parchment or waxed paper and place in the freezer to stiffen up before you dip them in the chocolate, about an hour or so.

While your "eggs" are freezing, you can melt your chocolate, either on a double boiler or in the microwave.

Dip each egg in chocolate and return to wax paper to cool and harden. You can place them back in the freezer to speed up the process if you'd like.

Yield: A dozen "eggs"

Variations:
Peppermint Patties: Instead of dividing into thirds, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of peppermint extract to the corn syrup and vanilla before adding the sugar. Add a little green food color (optional). Divide into 24 equal pieces and form into patties. Follow the recipe from there.

Lemon or Orange Candies: Get creative with the flavors! Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of lemon or orange (or almond or anise or cinnamon...) extract instead of the peppermint. Add a touch of yellow or orange food color, or whatever color matches the flavor you use to make a variety.

We're Sorry...

So, here it is...the link to the inevitable TYPOS found in 500 Vegan Recipes. HERE is where you can post them, read them, ask about them, yada yada yada.

With 512 pages of text, it was bound to happen. Sorry. We hope you haven't wasted too many ingredients!!!

It's Party Time!

Come celebrate the release of 500 Vegan Recipes with Celine and Joni at the amazing, all-vegan shop, HUMANITAIRE!

Celine and Joni will be whipping up some yummy hors d’oeuvres from the book and signing copies.

Plus, you can get your holiday shopping done early with tons of cruelty-free t-shirts, shoes, handbags, cosmetics, books and more.

Humanitaire (www.shophumanitaire.com) is located in The Camp, on Bristol Street in Costa Mesa, directly across from Native Foods.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

3:00pm – 6:00pm

Humanitaire (at the Camp)
2937 South Bristol Street A101A
Costa Mesa, California

Hope you can join us!

Any questions, feel free to call Joni at 714-330-8306.

And the winner is...

240* total responses! WOW! You peeps really want a copy of this book!

Thanks for all of your entries!

Random.org chose the following winners:



#36 Cookie said... Yay! I want to win!
November 14, 2009 6:12 AM

AND



#108 Paola said... Im delighted at the thought of winning this book! The fact that you have been so kind as to offer to ship international makes this free giveaway even more exciting!Thank u so much for this opportunity, this is one amazing book!Best Regards,Paola from the UK ;)
November 15, 2009 12:56 AM



Cookie and Paola...CONGRATS!!! Please send me an email with your mailing address so I can send these out to you!

To the rest, stay tuned, there are bound to be more giveaways soon!


*There were (233) total responses from blogger, and I had to add in the entries (6) from my facebook account, since my blog feeds directly there, so I added those 6 entries (plus the (1) entry received on the 500 Vegan Recipes blog) in at the exact time they were entered, and then counted in order from the first entry.

Giving Thanks!

Wow, Thanksgiving is next week. I can't believe how quickly this year has passed. There is so much to be thankful for.

I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful for my family.
I am thankful for my husband.
I am thankful for my friends.
I am thankful that I have a safe roof over my head.
I am thankful that I have food on the table.

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do what I love and share it with you!

Next Thursday, when you sit down and give thanks, what are you going to eat? Here's what I was thinking about:

Seitan en Croute
(from 500 Vegan Recipes)
RECIPE HERE



Stone Ground Spinach Mashed Potatoes
(from 500 Vegan Recipes)



Cranberry Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
(from 500 Vegan Recipes)



And for Dessert?
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
(from 500 Vegan Recipes)
RECIPE HERE




And lest I forget...I AM THANKFUL FOR MY PUBLISHER, Fairwinds Press! Celine and I are writing another book together...woo-hoo! It is tentatively titled The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions and will be chock full of fun foods...and guess what else? Full color pictures!

You Want One?

I'll give you one. In fact, I'll give away 2!

Leave a comment, here, and I will randomly choose 2 of y'all to receive a free copy of 500 Vegan Recipes on Friday November 20 at 6pm PST, and, yes, I will ship internationally.

You want to double your chances to win? Celine is also haveing a giveaway over on Have Cake, Will Travel!

Oh, and go check out the new blog specifically for 500 Vegan Recipes.

500 Vegan Recipes!

Wow, I can't believe it's finally out!
Go buy one, or two, or seventeen!



Attention Testers: The publishers are sending us the author copies...then Celine and I will get together, sign, and send them out to you! Don't worry, we didn't forget you :) Please shoot us an email with your current address if you haven't already. Thanks.

Truth is...

I've been eating leftover soup, and cold cereal for the last 2 days. Not very exciting. But you know what is exciting? 500 Vegan Recipes comes out on November 1! That's less than 2 weeks away!

Here's a little teaser to get you as excited as I am:

Seitan en Croûte
A juicy, savory seitan wrapped in a flaky pastry crust… Need we say more?



Inside Shot:


The Recipe:

2 cups (288 g) vital wheat gluten flour
1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup (235 ml) beef flavored vegetable broth (or plain veggie broth)
1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce or tamari
3 tablespoons (50 g) tomato paste
1 tablespoon (45 g) prepared stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 sheets vegan frozen puff pastry

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).
Have ready a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat such as Silpat.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together, gluten flour, wheat flour, nutritional yeast, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix together broth, oil, soy sauce, tomato paste, mustard, and liquid smoke.
Add wet to dry and knead together until well incorporated and until moist dough forms.
Let rest 20 minutes.
Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions.
Form into a loaf (similar to a meat loaf shape) and place in the center of the baking sheet.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Increase the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).
Cover the loaf entirely with one of the pastry sheets, tucking the edges underneath the loaf.
Slice the other sheet into 10 even strips for weaving. Weave the strips, on the diagonal across the top of the loaf. Tuck loose ends under the loaf.
Sprinkle a little paprika and parsley on top for color.
Return to the oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until pastry is fluffy and golden brown.

Yield: 1 loaf (about 8 servings)

Orange Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (from 500 Vegan Recipes)

Orange Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Soy Free & Gluten Free

Oh, so sweet! But wait, what's that kick? Ohhh, the smoky chipotle has emerged from the sweetness to leave your tongue warm...not burning. This recipe calls for a strange ingredient…grape jelly! Please, don't use jam, but jelly. This is my Gramma Jo's secret ingredient. She uses it in all of her barbecue sauces, even store-bought ones.

2 tablespoons (30 g) extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion (about 6 ounces, 170 g), roughly chopped

1 tablespoon (15 g) minced garlic

24 ounces (680 g) tomato sauce

6 ounces (170 g) tomato paste

1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice

1/2 cup (110 g) packed brown sugar

1/4 cup (80 g) grape jelly

2 tablespoons (12 g) ground chipotle powder

In a stock pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant, and just beginning to brown. Add in remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve as you would any barbecue sauce. If not using right away, place in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Will last about a week in the fridge, or freeze for later use.

Yield: About 4 cups (940 ml)