Cooler Fall Weather Means it's Time for Comfort Food: Country Fried Seitan Steaks with Mashed Potatoes and Pepper Gravy

One of Dan's favorite pre-veg meals was chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes.  The mashed potatoes are easy, replace the butter with Earth Balance, and the milk with Almond Milk.  But making a Dan approved chicken fried steak was a bit more challenging.

Spicy Cilantro Pepita Pesto Stuffed Peppers

Spicy Cilantro Pepita Pesto Stuffed Peppers (And, yes, that is my new penny bar!  Thanks for asking.)

I had originally planned on spending this week and next road tripping through California, Oregon, and Nevada with my husband to visit family.  I have 18 glorious days (in a row!) off of work.  But, something came up, and I needed to stay behind.  Oh well, at least I don't have to work, right?

My sister, Kristen, calls me up and invites me to go out on a Duffy Boat in the Long Beach Harbor on Saturday. Heck yeah!  I am kicking this "staycation" off right!  My spirits were high.  Slept in nice and late on Sunday, then headed to the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet to do a little recon on some catering equipment and bought myself a groovy sun hat (I'll need that for my summer vacay, won't I?) and a tortilla press.  Monday rolls around, and now I really feel like I'm on vacation.  But guess what?

Staycation=Everyone else still works during the week!

Hmph.  I guess I'll get some house chores out of the way.  I called up a coupla friends to see if they want to head to Hollywood to go see Jamie Kilstein perform his stand up, but no one could go out.  It was a school night, after all.  So I went by myself.  No biggie.  I enjoy alone time.  The show was fantastic.  It really was.  And, as much as I love me some Joe Rogan Experience, he really was a little mean to Jamie on the podcast today!  But I digress.

On to the stuffed chile peppers.  I scored a big bag of Pasilla Peppers for only $1 at the Downtown Anaheim Farmer's Market last week that needed to be used up.  Dan was gone, so I could make a dinner for myself, tonight, that I would love, and I know he would not appreciate.  Having the house to myself does have its perks.

Spicy Cilantro Pepita Pesto Stuffed Peppers
2 cups dry rice, prepared according to package instructions
1 cup Spicy Cilantro Pepita Pesto (recipe below)
1 1/2 cups (or 1 can) black beans, rinsed
1 yellow onion, diced
5 or 6 Pasilla peppers (or any pepper, even bells!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix together cooked rice, pesto, beans and onions.
Slice each pepper from tip to toe.  Carefully remove the core and seeds.
Stuff each pepper with a generous amount of the rice mixture.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

Stuffed Peppers based on 5 peppers per recipe including the pesto.

Spicy Cilantro Pepita Pesto
1 cup raw hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 bunch cilantro
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons SriRacha (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender and whirl away!  This recipe yields about 3 cups, only one of which you need for the rice, but it tastes great as a dipping sauce for taquitos, a salad dressing, on pasta, in a tofu scramble...

Spicy Cilantro Pepita Pesto (1 serving=1 tablespoon)

Cheater Mac'n'Cheeze

When I want a real meal, I will take the time to make a full blown mac and cheeze. Whether it is the Cozy Inside recipe with its nutty crust or VCON's Mac Daddy with its tart and tangy noochy sauce, or any of the plethora of macs out there on the interwebs. BUT when I think back to my childhood, I have very fond memories of that flourescent orange stuff that took only a few minutes longer to make than it took to boil the pasta.

Enter "Cheater Mac'n'Cheeze." My quick, easy, cheater recipe for a creamy delicious bowl of kid-friendly mac.



Ingredients
1 pound of elbow macaroni, prepared in salted water
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (like Tofutti Better than Sour Cream)
1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance, of course)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp white miso
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare pasta. Drain and return to the pot. Throw in all of the ingredients and mix together well. Done.

Coconut Curry Tofu Bake with Mushrooms and Chickpeas

From trash to treasure.

This started out as a burger recipe, but I was getting frustrated with the texture. I put the "dough" in the fridge, and went to bed, All day at work, my mind wondered..."What can I do with that? It would be horrible to have to toss it out." Then I thought, "Why not make a casserole, with that as the base?" So I did.

To my surprise, it came out AMAZING! I might even make it again!



Coconut Curry Tofu Bake with Mushrooms and Chickpeas
Ingredients
1 15 oz can of full fat coconut milk
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed and crumbled
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water to make a slurry
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp veggie broth powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1 medium onion (I used a yellow onion), diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup ground raw cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
a sprinkling of paprika
salt and pepper to taste
oil for sauteing (I used coconut oil)

Directions
In a large skillet, bring coconut milk and curry powder to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add in mushrooms and crumbled tofu. Cover and simmer about 15 minnutes, uncover and continue to cook another 10. Add cornstarch slurry, mix well, cook for about 3-5 more minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, veggie broth powder and garlic powder. Add the flour mixture to the cocnut curry tofu mixture and knead together until a sticky dough forms. Set aside. In a skillet, saute the onions, garlic and chickpeas for about 5-7 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. In a casserole dish, spread the dough out along the bottom. Layer the chickpea and onion mixture on the top of the dough. Sprinkle the ground cashews all over the top, then the nutritional yeast and sprinkle the top with paprika. Bake, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown the top. Remove from oven, allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving.

I topped mine with a really simple (and really SINFUL) noochy-garlicy-creamy sauce I made with 1 cup of soymilk, 4 tbsp of Earth Balance, 1 tbsp of garlic powder, 1/8 cup of nooch, 1 tbsp flour and salt and pepper. In a saucepan, I melted the margarine into the soymilk, added the nooch and garlic, brought it just to a boil, reduced the heat and mixed in the flour and stirred until thickened. Delightfully disgusting stuff!!!

Using the leftover glaze from the Chinese Take-Out Burger, I made Orange Seitan for dinner last night. All I did, was pan fry some thinly sliced seitan, and then coat it in the glaze. Put in on top of some rice, served it with vegetables, and an awesome dinner was born. This glaze is soooo good.

Alone on a Saturday night. The Scarborough Fair Tofu Burger

If you are a regular visitor to my blog you know that it's a rare occasion that Dan and I leave the house on the weekends. Instead we have stay at home date night, and we cook up some fun dinners in the kitchen, that we wouldn't have the time or energy to make up on a weeknight.

Well it's Saturday night, and Dan has left me for the night to hang with the boys and do boy stuff. I'm sure none of it revolves around cooking. Drinking? Maybe. But cooking? No way.

Curried Chickpea Patties with Broccoli and Udon Pesto

First for the burger. It's kinda like hummus on a bun.
Before Cooking:

On the bun:


And then for the Udon Pesto. I know, udon are Japanese and pesto is not. Sue me. I had leftover pesto from the pesto burgers.

A Macaroni Weekend

Dan and I celebrated our 13 year anniversary (which is today) on Saturday. First we went to the Huntington Beach Pacific Waters Day Spa for a couple's massage followed by a couple's bath. How romantic! Then we went home and snuggled on the couch.

What could be more romantic than watching the food network with your honey? Anyhow, the macaroni and cheese challenge was on, and it inspired us to make a romantic dinner of ho'made mac and cheeze instead of going out!

I'm still trying to use up all of those bakin bits that I made so I put some in the mix. It's the Cozy Inside recipe plus 1/2 tub of tofutti better than cream cheese and bakin bits.





On Sunday my sister and nephew came over to bbq and I still had some bakin' bits leftover, so I threw them into this very basic macaroni salad.



Basic Macaroni Salad
Plain and simple.
1 lb pasta of choice
2 cups vegan Mayo
1/2 of 1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup imitation bacon bits
1/4 cup diced green onions
2 tbsp prepared dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare pasta as directed, in salted water. Drain and let cool. (Or cool it off by running it under cold water.) Mix in all the other ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 12 Servings

More from the Burger Test Kitchen...

Seafood Burgers (Crab Cakes?)



"Super" Burgers (with Quinoa & Peas)



Bakin Cheezeburgers (rumor has it they taste like Carl's Jr Western Bacon Cheeseburgers)

Seitan Sliders on Biscuit Buns

Using a very variated variation of the Seitan O Greatness, I made sliders. I served 'em up on little biscuit buns! Everything is cute when it's ittle-wittle!

All American Burger (add cheeze for an All American Cheezeburger!)

Plain old burger. Stands up to the grill with the best of his meaty cousins. And with 46.4 grams of protein per patty, you might even get your atkins loving, meat eating friends to try it!

AllAmerican Burger from the Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (page 82)

Spinach, Brown Rice & Oat Burgers with Pine Nuts (Tester)

This one is soy and wheat free!

Jalapeno Burgers with Nacho Sauce & Vanilla Pudding

Another burger. This time, it's cornbread meets burger to make a spicy jalapeno sammy drenched in nacho cheezy sauce.

Jalapeno Cheddar Burgers

I was so impressed with the texture of the ho'made ice cream the other night I decided to alter the recipe a little bit and make pudding. I haven't had pudding since I wen't veg, so I am pretty excited about this.

topped with berry preserves and a mint leaf

As an Oreo cookie parfait!

Coconut Vanilla Pudding (Based on the recipe for Cookies & Cream Ice cream at www.veganicecream.blogspot.com)
Ingredients
1 14 oz can of Coconut Milk
1 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1 tbsp vanilla
Directions
Mix the arrowroot into 1/4 cup of the vanilla soymilk to create a slurry and set aside. In a saucepan mix the coconut milk, the remaining soymilk and the sugar. Bring to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, remove from the heat. Stir in the arrowroot slurry and stir until it thickens. Add in the vanilla and continue to stir. Immediately pour into dessert cups and refrigerate to cool and continue to thicken. Garnish with fresh berries, make a parfait, or do whatever floats your boat.

Earth Burgers

Healthy Burger #2. This one is a little more labor intensive, but it sure is yummy.

Earth Burgers definitely scream, "Hippie food!" But, that's definitely okay with me.

The Recipe (makes 8 patties)
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked wild rice blend, prepared as directed (already cooked, not dry)
1/2 cup yellow corn kernels
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1/2 package of presliced mushrooms (appx 4 oz), chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 cup soy flour
1/2 cup water
Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare rice as directed. If using frozen veggies, steam to defrost. Saute mushrooms and garlic in 2 tbsp of olive oil about 5-7 minutes, until fragrant. Mix together all ingredients including the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Form mixture into patties. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with Sprouts, avocado, onions, tomatoes, or whatever your heart desires.

Yield: 8 patties

Ortega Burgers

Ortega Burgers (makes 4 patties)
These only take about 10 minutes to make and they are super high in protein and super low in fat and carbs, but SUPER HIGH IN FLAVOR!

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

The first time I made this, the smells wafting through the kitchen made my mouth water and my heart go pitter-pat. When it was done, and I took my first bite, I actually said, out loud, “Oh my f#@!, this is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth!”

I made it again last night, and I still feel the same exact way.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic

mmmmmm...these really do make me feel all cozy inside!

Cheezeburger Macaroni

An old childhood favorite...veganized!

Barbecue Seitan in Quick & Easy Bbq Sauce

This is so easy I almost feel guilty. Almost.

Swedish Meetballs

I truly miss the Budget Gourmet Swedish Meatballs frozen dinners I used to get for $1 when I was living in my first apartment. Oh well. These are better anyways.





TVP Meetballs
makes about 20 balls

Ingredients
2 cups TVP granules
1 ¾ cups veggie broth (or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in water)
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Additional oil for frying

Directions
Reconstitute TVP granules by placing them in a microwave safe bowl, pouring the broth over the granules, covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing them in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Alternatively, you can pour boiling broth over the dry granules, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and fragrant. About 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat mix in the flour, Tamari and all of the spices. Let sit until cool enough to handle. With your hands, form balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Use a lot of pressure when forming your balls, tee-hee, you don’t want them to fall apart. Lightly fry them in a small amount of oil, rolling them around in the pan to brown on all sides.


Swedish Meetballs
makes 4 big ol’ plates

what makes a meatball swedish? they serve them at IKEA? Anyhow, traditionally, swedish meatballs are served with a beef based brown gravy. i serve ‘em over fettuccine with a brown mushroom sauce.

Ingredients
1 prepared recipe of meetballs, above
1 pound of fettucine noodles, prepared in salted water according to package directions
1 8oz package of mushrooms (I buy mine pre-sliced!)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
1 cup soymilk
½ cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare meetballs and set aside. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the mushroom sauce. In a heavy bottomed skillet, on medium-high heat, saute the mushrooms in the olive oil until the have reduced in size by half. Add the margarine and continue to saute a few more minutes. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch and flour into the water and soymilk. Dissolve until there are NO LUMPS! Add the miso and tamari to the skillet. Sprinkle in the onion and garlic powder. Slowly add in the flour mixture, stirring constantly and continue to simmer until you reach your desired thickness. Drain the pasta and mix sauce into the noodles. Top with the meetballs and serve warm.