speedvegan

Vegetable Crumble, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I’ve been meaning to make this dish for a while. The original recipe calls for cauliflower, but I chose to use broccoli instead. This was originally a vegetarian recipe, so I had to veganize it.

2 broccoli heads, cut into florets
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried yellow mustard powder
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1 can corn kernels, drained
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp thyme, chopped
salt and pepper (to taste)

Topping:
6 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/8 cup blanched almonds, chopped
1 cup vegan cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook the broccoli in a pan of lightly salted boiling water (more than 2 cups) for 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving the cooking water.

3. Mix nutritional yeast, salt, flour, garlic powder and dried yellow mustard powder. Add 2 cups of the reserved water and wisk until clumps disappear.

4. Pour mixture into a pan. Add margarine and heat on medium until thick. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir the corn, parsley, and thyme into the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the broccoli, then spoon the mixture into a baking dish.

6. To make the crumble topping, place the flour into a bowl, add the margarine, and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the oats and almonds, and cheese.

7. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the vegetables.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes and serve.

Jose thought it was delicious !!

Broccoli Stirfry with Peanut Sauce, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I had the best peanut sauce ever when Jose and I were in Chicago a few weeks ago. Since then, I have been trying to find a good recipe for peanut sauce. Most recipes call for honey or some other type of sweetener (which I can’t have) and lemon juice. I nearly fell off my chair when I found the recipe below. Using orange juice instead of the sugar and lemon juice is genius ! I decided to try it. It is definitely not as good as the peanut sauce we had in Chicago but I thought it was a yummy and probably healthier alternative.

1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp canola oil
1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
12 oz firm or extra firm tofu
3 tbsp chunky peanut butter
6 tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp orange juice
1 head of fresh broccoli, cut into florets

1. Heat sesame and canola oils in medium pan.

2. Add garlic and tofu and cook for 5 minutes or until tofu is golden brown. Set aside.

3. Heat peanut butter, soy sauce, and orange juice in a wok or a large pan over low heat, stirring frequently.

4. Add broccoli and stir fry over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.

5. Carefully stir in tofu. Remove from heat and serve with noodles or brown rice.

Lasagna, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I have never met a person who doesn’t like lasagna. Some like the classic lasagna while others prefer the vegetable or spinach versions. I developed my own recipe a few years ago which I shared with my friends tonight and I’d like to share with you.

For the noodles, I prefer to use the “oven ready” kind which require no boiling. However, if you don’t have access to these or simply want to use classic lasagna noodles, cook them according to the directions on the package.

9 lasagna noodles, cooked or “oven ready” kind
12-14 oz textured soy protein
1 jar favorite vegan pasta sauce
24 oz firm tofu, crumbled
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 cups vegan cheese, shredded

1. Cook soy protein over medium heat until warm. Add vegan pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. In large bowl, combine tofu, nutmeg, salt, pepper and parsley.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Add a thin layer of the sauce mixture to the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and line with lasagna noodles. Add another layer of the sauce mixture, then a layer of the tofu mixture and another layer of noodles. Repeat this two more times. Add a final layer of the sauce mixture. Top with the vegan cheese.

5. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour if using “oven ready” noodles or 30 minutes if using cooked noodles. Broil uncovered until top is golden brown.

6. Take out of the oven and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

I like to serve this with garlic bread. Take a few pieces of bread, coat with olive oil and minced garlic and toast in the oven until golden.

i somehow managed to get this year’s version of the killer bug. i took the day off because i could barely drag myself out of bed. i wasn’t hungry for anything throughout the day, but knew i would eventually need to eat something. i went to the whole foods market in the afternoon to get some soup. as i passed the juice bar, i thought a smoothie would probably feel better in my belly. i noticed a guy in line glancing at me. he took 3 phone calls while waiting for his smoothie and spoke in a very thick NY accent. i paid for my vibrant C and walked out of the store. the guy was outside. he looked at me in a weird way. he started walking towards me and got ANOTHER phone call. drug dealer ? i don’t know. i hurried to my car and drove away. i went to walgreens to get benadryl and nyquil, but got distracted by the card isle. as i browsed the cards, i felt piercing eyes disecting me. i looked to my right and there was the guy. he kept picking up random cards… different themes: his birthday, her birthday (i don’t want to meet his friends) and kept looking at me in the same weird way. i think he confused me with someone he knows. he looked at me as if wondering “do i know you from somewhere ??” or “i know you from somewhere but i did a lot of drugs in the 80s.” i wasn’t going to stick around to find out. so i ran out of the store as quickly as possible.

Shepherd’s Pie, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I remember having Shepherd’s Pie as a little girl. It was something comforting to have and probably the only way my mom could get me to eat meat. Today, I decided to veganize this old favorite. It was quite easy and very tasty.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can green beans
1 tsp each dried oregano, basil and thyme
12 oz veggie crumbles
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper (optional)

Mash:
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste

1. To make the mash, boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and place them in a bowl. Add olive oil, garlic powder and salt and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

2. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent.

3. Stir in green beans, oregano, basil and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.

4. Mix in veggie crumbles and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. In casserole dish, put half the potato mash. Add veggie crumble mixture and top with remaining potato mash. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper, if desired.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Jose loved it ! It is an amazing feeling to be able to create things that he likes and appreciates.

Mac ‘n “Cheese”, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Today I made a vegan version of the classic Mac ‘n Cheese. It’s one of Jose’s favorites so we were happy.

8 oz macaroni pasta
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried yellow mustard powder
1 cup water
1 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
4 oz shredded vegan cheese (your favorite)
cayenne pepper (to taste)

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling water until it is tender.

2. While pasta is cooking, mix nutritional yeast, salt, whole wheat flour, garlic powder and dried yellow mustard powder in small saucepan. Add water and whisk until clumps are gone.

3. Stir mixture over medium heat. Add margarine and cook until thick, stirring frequently.

4. Drain pasta and place in baking dish. Add cheese sauce. Cover with shredded vegan cheese and cayene pepper.

5. Bake covered for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover and broil until cheese is a bit golden. Serve with garlic toast.

This has become one of my favorite dishes.

Wild Rice with Teryaki Tofu, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I don’t usually cook on Monday nights because I have a spinning class at 9pm. I just have a snack when I get home from work and a soy burger after the gym. However, there is a little hurricane headed our way tonight and the gym is closing at 8pm. I’ve decided to cook since it could be the last warm meal I have for a few days (if my power goes off again). I also have the flu and Jose is staying with me so I wanted to make something comforting for my belly and substantial enough for him.

1 cup brown rice
1 cup wild rice
2 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp peanut oil
14 oz firm tofu
2 tbsp tamari sauce
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1. Place brown and wild rice in medium saucepan. Add water, coconut oil and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender but not overcooked.

2. While rice is cooking, toast pine nuts in oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Heat peanut oil over medium-high heat. Stir fry tofu for 5-7 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add tamari sauce and stir fry for another minute. Reduce heat. Add teriyaki sauce and cook for one more minute.

4. Once rice is cooked, add dried cranberries and pine nuts and mix together. Serve with tofu.

This is so easy to make and so satisfying. Jose was very pleased ! We’re ready for the hurricane now !

i have a friend who is dating a Brazilian artist. i received an invite to her first two exhibits in America and debated whether to attend. i finally ran it by Jose and he agreed to go with me. the first exhibit was in Miami which is closer to me, but was on a week night which means i probably wouldn’t be able to make it. the other was in Jupiter on a Saturday. Jose got us a room at one of the properties the company he works for owns and just like that we were set for another fun and exciting weekend.

i thought the exhibit was great. i liked her work. this, her latest collection, was a combination of the human body in naked form and the alphabet. some of the letters were hard to make out, but one had to appreciate the amount of creativity required to develop each one. among my favorites were the letter E and L. i wish i had a photo to show… maybe in a future post. for now you can see what i’m talking about here.

after the exhibit, we went to a local pub with my friend, the artist and a few of their friends. Jose and i then headed for what seemed like mission impossible: finding a place to eat at midnight. we drove for a long time until we finally arrived at CityPlace in palm beach. i was able to find something healthy on the menu and we had a good time talking far away from the loud music, crowds of drunk frat boys and the girls who love them.

today, i went for a run. i enjoy running in unfamiliar strange places. i love the feeling of uncertainty that each stride brings. i don’t quite know how far i ran. i am still trying to adhere to the “just enjoy the run and forget the miles” mindset i developed when i started running again.

after lunch, we decided to go to Lake Okeechobee but didn’t know how to get there, so we took the Okeechobee exit off i95 and somehow – after much time and miles, we are here !! Jose has a verizon card so i can actually browse the internet in the boonies. unfortunately, the world hasn’t figured out how to make a laptop battery that doesn’t die.

Pancakes, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Jose and I worked at making the perfect vegan pancakes for a long time. We tried many different flours, measurements and ingredients. We finally came up with a decent recipe that we want to share with the world. I added my own touch which you can leave out if you want.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar or substitute
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp anise seed (optional)
1 cup soy milk (*)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine dry ingredients and anise seed, if desired.

2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and add to dry mixture. Don’t overmix ! A few lumps are OK.

3. Cook on preheated, lightly oiled pan. Turn when bubbles form on surface and edges begin to dry.

(*) For thicker pancakes, use less soy milk. For thinner pancakes, use more soy milk.

Jose and I LOVE pancakes so we will continue to work on them. Don’t be surprised if in the future we add more pancake recipes or variations of this recipe !

“Pepperoni” Pizza, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

I am not going to list a recipe for today’s lunch entry because, well… it’s not much of a recipe. It’s just something I had to throw together because Jose and I were in a bit of a rush. We were going to an art exhibit in a town about an hour away from where I live and I wanted to make a quick lunch.

I purchased two ready-made pizza crusts during the week and had one left. I put it in the oven for a few minutes, smeared some pasta sauce on it, added vegan cheese and veggie pepperoni slices and voila ! Vegan pepperoni pizza in minutes.

Since there is no recipe to list, I will give you a few “tips” in the event that you decide to make this. Let’s start with the crust. To avoid a sauggy pizza, it is better to cook the crust before adding the tomato sauce. Next, the most important part, the cheese ! I use a vegan cheese that actually melts ! You can read all about it here and find out if your local health food store carries it. Also, it tastes better than every other vegan cheese I have tried.

As far as the pepperoni slices, I use the Lightlife brand because they are fat free. It is very important that you add these last so that you don’t over-cook or burn them. It is also a good idea to “spray” the pepperoni slices with olive oil (or you can use a brush) so that they do not dry up when you broil the pizza. It also makes them look a little more like real pepperoni and you don’t have to feel guilty because they were fat free to begin with !