5 posts tagged “dinner”

Last night was amazing. I'm so ready for change! Go Obama! Anyway, we had a real American dinner last night: Vegetable Dumplings. I made up for it with some red, white, and blue oatmeal chocolate chippers (a tasty vegan recipe I'll save for another day's posting).

I'm coloring my hair right now, so I need to make this quick.




VEGETABLE DUMPLINGS

For the dough . . .

• 1-1/2 cups organic white flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water
• Pinch of salt

For the filling . . .

• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• Some onion (if you like)
• And feel free to add mushrooms or whatever else you'd like . . .
• Sesame oil (for frying)
  

Method . . .

1. Shred and cut all ingredients for the filling. Mix together. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine water and flour to make a dough. Adjust water/flour until dough comes out only slightly sticky. Knead for about 5 minutes.
3. Take a heaping tablespoon amount of dough (or slightly more) and roll it into a circle about 3 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Set on a clean work surface and roll with a rolling pin.
4. Put a spoonful of mixture inside (in the middle), and fold in half -- pressing edges together.
5. Continue following these instructions until either the dough or mixture runs out (we had a bit of dough left over).
6. Heat sesame oil in a wok or large pan on medium high heat. Coat dumplings in the oiled pan and cook until browned on each side (flip often while on the stove to evenly cook).
7. When they're browned . . . add about 1 tablespoon of water to the pan and cover for one minute -- turning down the heat to medium.
8. Serve with soy sauce (we added garlic and ginger powder to ours).

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MAC 'N CHEESE
(we eat this every week)

What you'll need . . .

• 8 ounces elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (mild)
• 2 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk or soy milk
• Bread crumbs and parmesan cheese (for topping)

Method . . .

1. Cook macaroni in a large pot -- following the package directions. Drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Using that same pot, add in the milk, butter, and flour. Whisk to combine & then cook on medium heat.
4. Stir in the cheese & paprika. Continue stirring until fully combined.
5. Add macaroni. Stir. Then pour everything into a 2 quart baking dish.
6. Top liberally with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes -- until browned and bubbly!

Yeah . . . though it may sound strange, I eat cheese . . . but don't drink milk or eat butter. It's just one of my quirks (I have MANY). So, whenever I cook/bake using cheese . . . I tend to use soy milk and butter substitute. But it's a lovely recipe. Great for cool nights when, for instance, you can hardly chew after being drilled at the dentist all morning (yuck . . . that was definitely my day today).

But that's another story. Far too long for tonight.

I promise to shoot better food photos soon. I accidentally left my D40 charger in my office . . . and I keep forgetting to bring it home. Despite my original, rather enthusiastic feelings about Nikon's Coolpix S550, I'm now finding myself frustrated & unimpressed. Much like I was with Coldplay's SNL performance last week.

ANYWAY. To you Americans out there: VOTE!

<3

It's getting to be that time. When there's frost on your car windows . . . and it's absolutely freezing in the mornings. When it seems everything I eat needs to be comfort food. Some good news? This vegan "meatloaf" falls into the comfort food category quite well. But . . . since I haven't eaten any meat since age 12 -- I don't have much experience with meatloaf. And this recipe isn't quite like the rest of the "meatloaf" recipes out there on the web. I didn't use ketchup. I didn't use any meat substitute. I suppose it isn't at all like a lot of them.

Authentic or not -- it sure is delicious. Especially when topped with your favorite barbecue sauce (or ketchup).

It's also a fantastic & super portable lunch option. Just heat and eat. And, if you're my husband, repeat that process several times until you're full. I know I've mentioned his insatiable appetite . . . but yesterday's display of hunger (or perhaps just love of "meatloaf") topped all others.




VEGAN "MEATLOAF"

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed walnuts (raw)
• 1 can large kidney beans (drained but not rinsed)
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 cup whole grain bread crumbs
• 3 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 3 teaspoons sesame seeds
• pinch salt

Method . . .

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour vegetable stock, water, and soy sauce into a large stock pot and heat over medium-high heat until bubbling.
3. Lower heat to a simmer. Add onion and garlic. Stir. Cook for approx. 4 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, walnuts, kidney beans, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Cook for approx. 5 minutes. Then lower heat to low and continue with the next steps.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, bread crumbs, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
6. Add the wet (and warm) ingredients to the dry mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
7. Generously "butter" (with your favorite butter substitute) a 9" x 5" loaf pan (mine was slightly larger -- just don't worry about the loaf rising at all -- it stays pretty much the same size as when you pour it in).
   
8. Pour in mixture and spread evenly.
9. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan at the half-way mark.
10. Let cool a bit and then serve.

I invented this recipe by referencing at least five .  . . mixing them up a bit . . . and adding ingredients I like. Feel free to do that same. As well, this recipe makes one large loaf. Enough for six. Or two if you're living in my household. Oh, well. I plan to experiment with more loaves in the near future. Which reminds me. I *THINK* I'm taking a small break from baking. Just a week.

But we'll have to see.

I could be lying because I have plans to mail cookies to my friends in far away places (like Iowa . . . hint, hint). Or not so far away (like Ithaca . . . hint, hint).



Today's post is part of VeganMoFo. For more delicious vegan recipes -- including sweets, soups, and other scrumptious things -- keep reading METHOD (subscribe to METHOD's RSS feed). As well, check out the VeganMoFo Flickr group.

In addition: Meatwad has approved this post. Eat fake meat, not friends!

Happy Thursday! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm a huge Project Runway fan. And I'm more than happy with Leanne as the winner! Her modern designs & use of sustainable materials had me the whole season. Plus, I despise Kenley . . .

So, my vote last night was "anyone but" her.

Blah. It's a bit early for my brain this morning . . . and the mornings are much, much darker now (and today, rainy and cold). We've finally begun our decent into winter, so I guess all that's left to do is enjoy the ride. Anyway, vegan lasagna is a nice food for cold weather. It's hot, of course, but also substantial and full of healthy vegetables, carbohydrates, and -- at least with this recipe -- protein (with the tofu). AND, if you don't have a husband with an endless pit for a stomach, if can last for three or even more dinners (for two people -- this recipe makes about 9 servings)!


VEGAN LASAGNA

What you'll need . . .

. . . for the sauce:

• 1 medium eggplant, chopped
• 1 yellow squash (or zucchini), chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• Balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• 1 large can tomato sauce (I used a roasted garlic one . . . I just can't get enough)

. . . for the tofu filling:

• 1 brick of firm tofu
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 can black beans (or more, if desired)

. . . for the rest:

• 1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles
• Bread crumbs (for topping -- as much as you want

Method . . .

1. Begin boiling water in a large stockpot for the noodles.
2. Press the tofu to get as much moisture out as possible. (Put tofu on plate, top with another plate, and place something heavy on top. Every so often, check and dump excess water from plate . . . flip over tofu, and repeat).
3. Prepare and chop all vegetables.
4. In a large frying pan, add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and then add the onion, eggplant, and squash. Cook for a few minutes (until glassy).
5. In a small saucepan, pour desired amount of balsamic vinegar and add mushrooms. Cook for approx. 5 minutes.
6. Add the sauce to the onion/eggplant/squash mixture. Then add in the mushrooms and cook on medium-low heat.
7. The water should be boiling by now, so add in the lasagna noodles one at a time and slowly mix. You'll only cook the noodles for 10 minutes. They should still be hard, but this is OK -- they'll finish cooking in the oven.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
   
9. In a medium bowl, squeeze tofu with your hand until it resembles ricotta cheese. Add the pumpkin, garlic, salt, and black beans. Continue mixing by hand until well incorporated.
10. Once the noodles have finished cooking, drain and spray with cold water (if you don't have a sprayer, just pour cold water on top so you can handle them).
11. Pour a thin layer of sauce (1/3 of the sauce) at the bottom of a pyrex (glass) 9"x13" pan.
    
12. Add a layer of noodles (3 across), then top with a layer of the tofu mixture (1/3 of the mixture). Add another layer of three noodles and then top with another layer of the sauce mixture.
    
13. Continue until all mixtures are gone (if you followed the 1/3 rule, you should have 4 layers of noodles -- with a layer of sauce on top. Top with breadcrumbs and cover with tin foil.
14. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. You may also wish to take the tin foil off after the 30 minutes and cook uncovered for another 5 (or so) minutes.

To round out this post, I thought I'd share some photos of the last leaves of fall in my area (Have a lovely day!):







Today's post is part of VeganMoFo. For more delicious vegan recipes -- including sweets, soups, and other scrumptious things -- keep reading METHOD (subscribe to my RSS feed -- pretty please!). As well, check out the VeganMoFo Flickr group.